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The Wondrous Cross 



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WILBUR B. KETCHAM, Publisher 
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/ o a 

The Wondrous Cross 

and Other Sermons 



BY 



DAVID JAMES BURRELL, D.D. 

Pastor of the Collegiate Church at Fifth Avenue and 2gth Street 
New York 



NEW YORK 

WILBUR B. KETCHAM 
7 and 9 West Eighteenth Street 






167 



ov 



Copyright, 1898, by 
Wilbur B. Ketcham 












CONTENTS 



PAGE 

The Wondrous Cross 5 

The Easy Yoke 18 

An Unfinished Letter 30 

The Steps to the Ivory Throne 41 

Selah 51 

One Church 60 

The Logia 73 

Everybody's Preacher 84 

What the Law Could Not Do 95 

I Thirst . 105 

Kneeling at Open Windows 114 

In the Days of Herod, the King . . 124 

The Passover Pilgrims 135 

euodia and syntyche 145 

The Immeasurable God 154 

How the Worlds Were Framed 165 

As a Refiner of Silver . . . . . 177 

One Religion : All Others False 187 

The Glory in the Face of Jesus .... 202 

The Dignity of Labor . ... . . „ . 213 

A Plea fqk' Fanaticism 224 

(3) 



4 CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Withered Hand 236 

The Beacon on Beth-Haccerem 247 

A Certain Nobleman 259 

The Fortunate Angel 269 

The Pride of Naaman 279 

The Hands of Jesus 289 

The Strength of a Young Man 299 

The Sword of Goliath 309 

The Gospel of Certainty 320 

The Tower of Babel 33 1 

The Rending of the Veil 341 



THE WONDROUS CROSS. 

" From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he 
must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief 
priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then 
Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord : 
this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee 
behind me, Satan : thou art an offence unto me : for thou savourest not the 
things that be of God, but those that be of men." — Matt. xvi. 21-23. 

In the religion of the Parsees there are two su- 
preme beings: Ormuzd, "the Good," creator and 
sustainer of all things bright and helpful ; and Ahri- 
man, "the Black," who presides over the regions of 
darkness, evokes the malignant passions, and stands 
sponsor for war and sorrow, disease and death. 
These two are perpetually arrayed against each other, 
the gage of conflict being the dominion of this world. 
It is like a stupendous game of chess, in which wars 
and truces, the convulsions of nature, and the ups 
and downs of history, are as the moves of pawns and 
castles upon the board. It is impossible to say how 
long the game will continue, or what the issue will 
be, inasmuch as the contestants are coeval and co- 
equal. Perhaps it will go on forever. 

We also believe in two great powers who contend 
for the sovereignty of this world, but they are not 
coequal. One is infinite; the other — though of im- 
mense guile and resource — is finite. And the end is 

(s) 



6 THE WONDROUS CROSS. 

to be seen from the beginning. God is always and 
everywhere getting the upper hand of Satan. The 
world grows constantly and cumulatively better from 
century to century, from year to year, from day to 
day. Every time our old world rolls around, it rolls 
a little farther into the light. 

" The eternal step of progress beats 
To that great anthem, calm and slow, 
Which God repeats. 
God works in all things ; all obey 
His first propulsion from the night. 
Wake thou and watch ! The world is gray 
With morning light !" 

There never was a moment, from the beginning of the 
eternal ages, when God did not intend to save this 
world. All things were included in his fore-knowledge. 
Sin, suffering, salvation, the casting down of iniquity, 
and the restitution of all things in the fullness of time, 
were from eternity present before him. 

In one of the boldest and most picturesque por- 
tions of Scripture we are introduced into the coun- 
cils of the ineffable Trinity. The three Persons 
are represented as in solemn conference respecting 
the deliverance of our sin-stricken race. The cry 
of the erring and perishing has come up into their 
ears. The inquiry is heard, "Whom shall we send, 
and who will go for us ? " Then the only-begotten 
Son offers himself: "Here am I; send me!" He 
girds himself with omnipotence, binds upon his feet 
the sandals of salvation, and goes forth as a knight- 
errant to vindicate and rescue the children of men. 
When next we behold him, he is a child, wrapped in 
swaddling-clothes and lying in a manger. The in- 



THE WONDROUS CROSS. y 

carnation is the first chapter in his great undertaking, 
and a necessary part of it. As Anselm says in Cur 
Deus Homo — " He must become man in order to suf- 
fer, and he must continue to be God in order that he 
may suffer enough for all." In thus assuming our; 
nature he laid aside the form of his Godhood and 
' 'the glory which he had with the Father before the 
world was " ; but he never lost sight of his beneficent 
purpose. He realized constantly that he had come 
to redeem the world by dying for it. 

In one of the earliest pictures of the nativity he is 
represented as lying in the manger, while just above 
him, on the wall of the stable, is the shadow of a 
cross. Holman Hunt paints him in the carpenter 
shop: the day's work is over; the spent toiler lifts 
his arms in an attitude of utter weariness, and the 
level rays of the setting sun cast upon the wall yon- 
der again the shadow of a cross. The suggestion is 
true: he was born under that shadow and lived under 
it. He knew that he had come to die. He knew 
that, inasmuch as the penalty had been passed upon 
the race, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die," there 
could be no deliverance but by death. Mors j anna 
vitoz. 

A company of Greeks, on one occasion, came, say- 
ing, "We would see Jesus. " He kept them waiting 
while he uttered those apparently inconsequential 
words, "Now is my soul troubled." Why should 
his soul be troubled ? Because he saw in those wait- 
ing Greeks the vanguard of a great multitude who 
were to come to him as the fruit of the travail of his 
soul. At that moment he felt himself passing under 
the shadow of the cross — deeper, darker than ever — 



8 THE WONDROUS CROSS. 

to pay ransom for these seeking ones. He shrank 
from the bitterness of his approaching death, yet 
knew it to be necessary for the success of his errand : 
"Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? 
Father, save me from this hour 2 Nay, but for this 
cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy 
name!" He had come to die for sinners. It must 
needs be. He knew that without his vicarious death 
the guilty race was without hope. He must give 
"his soul an offering for sin." 

It could not be supposed, however, that Satan, the 
prince of this world, would suffer his power to slip 
away without a desperate effort to retain it. He 
would put forth every energy and use every means to 
thwart the beneficent purpose of Christ. Thus we 
account for those extraordinary manifestations of 
malignant energy, during the years of Christ's min- 
istry, known as " demoniacal possession." Wherever 
a soul was open and willing to be used, there the ad- 
versary entered in. The plans of Jesus must be over- 
turned; he must not be permitted to ransom the 
world ; he must not die for it. 

Out in the wilderness, after the forty days of fast- 
ing, the adversary met Jesus and presented to his 
weak and suffering soul the great temptation. He 
led him to a high place, and with a wave of the hand, 
directed his thought to all the kingdoms of this 
world, saying, "All these are mine. I know thy 
purpose : thou art come to win this world by dying 
for it. Why pay so great a price ? I know thy fear 
and trembling — for thou art flesh — in view of the 
nails, the fever, the dreadful exposure, the long 
agony. Why pay so great a price ? I am the prince of 



THE WONDROUS CROSS. 9 

this world. One act of homage, and I will abdicate ! 
Fall down and worship me! " Never before or since 
has there been such a temptation, so specious, so al- 
luring. But Jesus had covenanted to die for sinners. 
He knew there was really no other way of accomplish- 
ing salvation for them. He could not be turned 
aside from the work which he had volunteered to do. 
Therefore he put away the suggestion with the word, 
"Get thee behind me, Satan! I cannot be moved. 
I know the necessity that is laid upon me. I know 
that my way to the kingdom is only by the cross. 
I am therefore resolved to suffer and die for the de- 
liverance of men." 

The stress of this temptation was over; but once 
and again it returned, as when, after a memorable 
day of preaching and wonder-working, his followers 
proposed to lead him to Jerusalem and place him 
upon the throne of David (John vi. 15) ; and he "de- 
parted into a mountain alone." He could not accept 
the kingdom in that way. 

We now come to the immediate occasion of our 
context. Jesus, with his disciples, was on his last 
journey to Jerusalem — that memorable journey of 
which it is written, " He set his face steadfastly " to- 
ward the cross. He had been with his disciples now 
three years, but had not been able to fully reveal his 
mission, because they were not strong enough to 
bear it. A man with friends, yet friendless, lonely 
in the possession of his great secret, he had longed 
to give them his full confidence, but dared not ven- 
ture. Now, as they journeyed southward through 
Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, " Who do men say 
that I am?" And they answered, " Some say John 



10 THE WONDROUS CROSS. 

the Baptist; some, Elias: others, Jeremias, or one 
of the prophets." And he saith, " But who say ye 
that I am?" Then Peter — brave, impulsive, glori- 
ous Peter — witnessed his good confession: "Thou 
art the Christ, the Son of the living God." The 
hour had come! His disciples were beginning to 
know him. He would give them his full confidence. 
So as they journeyed toward Jerusalem he told them 
all — how he had come to redeem the world by bear- 
ing its penalty of death; "he began to show them, 
how he must suffer many things of the elders and 
chief priests and scribes, and be killed." At that 
point Peter could hold his peace no longer, but be- 
gan to rebuke him, saying, "Be it far from thee, 
Lord! To suffer? To die? Nay, to reign in Mes- 
sianic splendor!" And Jesus turning, said unto Pe- 
ter, " Get thee behind me, Satan ! " — the very words 
with which he had repelled the same suggestion in 
the wilderness. As he looked on his disciple he saw 
not Peter, but Satan — perceived how the adversary 
had for the moment taken possession, as it were, of 
this man's brain and conscience and lips. " Get thee 
behind me, Satan! I know thee; I recognize thy 
crafty suggestion; but I am not to be turned aside 
from my purpose. Get thee behind me! Thou art 
an offence unto me. Thy words are not of divine 
wisdom, but of human policy. Thou savorest not 
the things that be of God, but those that be of men ! " 
We are now ready for our proposition, which is 
this : The vicarious death of Jesus is the vital centre of the 
whole Christian system j and any word which contravenes it 
is in the nature of a satanic suggestion. There is one 
truth before which all other truths whatsoever dwindle 



THE WONDROUS CROSS. H 

into relative insignificance, to wit, that our Lord 
Jesus Christ was wounded for our transgressions and 
bruised for our iniquities, that by his stripes we 
might be healed. The man who apprehends this by 
faith is saved by it. 

And contrariwise, any denial of this truth is mortal 
heresy. The first satanic suggestion made to man 
was a denial of the law, when the tempter said to 
Adam, "Thou shalt not surely die." The last sa- 
tanic suggestion is a denial of grace: "It is not ne- 
cessary that Christ should die for thee." The first 
ruined the race, and the last will destroy any man 
who entertains it. 

The suggestion comes in various ways, as when it is 
said that the gospel is not the only religion that saves : 
"If a man is sincere, what difference does it make ? 

1 For forms of faith let canting bigots fight, 
His faith cannot be wrong whose life is right.' 

Here is a Confucianist bowing before his ancestral 
tablets; here is a Brahman bathing in his sacred 
river; and here an African kneeling before his fetish. 
All these are sincere; shall they not be saved with 
us ? " If so, then the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
the only-begotten Son of the Father, was an incom- 
prehensible waste of divine resource, and there is no 
significance in the word that is written: "There is 
none other name under heaven given among men, 
whereby we must be saved." 

It is said again, that we are saved by the life of the 
Lord Jesus Christ as an example of holiness, leading 
us on to self-culture and character-building, and his 
death has practically nothing to do with our entrance 



I2 THE WONDROUS CROSS. 

into life. If that is true, then Christ did but mock 
our infirmity in setting up such an ideal. He did 
indeed come into the world to tell us how men ought 
to live, what a true man ought to be, what character 
means. That was incidental to his great redemptive 
mission, leading us on from deliverance to holi- 
ness. But if that were all, then I say he mocked our 
infirmity. For there is not an earnest man who does 
not kneel down beside his bed at night, after his 
most strenuous effort to imitate Christ, and say, 
" Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I have sinned." 
We have all sinned and come short of the glory of 
God. 

Again, it is said that Christ did not die vicariously, 
under the burden of sin, taking our place before the 
offended law, but died as all martyrs die. " He came 
into the world as a reformer, to overthrow the evil 
condition of things, and suffered the fate of all earn- 
est souls. He gathered into his devoted heart the 
shafts of the adversary, and fell." If that be so, what 
is the meaning of the constant statement that the 
death of Jesus Christ was a voluntary death ? The 
Father gave him, he gave himself, an offering for 
sin. " I have power to lay down my life, and I have 
power to take it again ; no man taketh my life from 
me." Life was his; he made it; he played with it as 
little children play with their toys. 

i. To deny this doctrine of the vicarious atonement, 
in any of these ways or otherwise, is to set one's self 
athwart the whole trend of Scripture. For from Gene- 
sis to Revelation there is a thoroughfare stained 
with the blood that cleanseth from sin. No sooner 
had man sinned than the protevangel spoke of the 



THE WONDROUS CROSS. !^ 

"Seed of the woman" suffering for sin. The first 
altar, reared by the closed gate of paradise, proph- 
esied of the slain Lamb of God. As the years 
passed, the prophets declared, with ever-increasing 
clearness and particularity, the coming sacrifice. 
David sang of it in his Messianic psalms. Isaiah 
drew the portrait of the agonizing Christ as if he had 
gazed on the cross: "He is a man of sorrows, 
and acquainted with grief . . . Surely he hath borne 
our griefs, and carried our sorrows. . . . And the 
Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." The 
same truth was emphasized by Moses, Daniel, Zecha- 
riah, all the prophets down to Malachi, who, waving 
his torch in the twilight of the long darkness which 
closed the old economy, said, "The sun of righteous- 
ness shall arise with healing in his wings." Open 
the Book where you will, the face of Jesus, " so marred 
more than any man's," yet divinely beautiful, looks 
out upon you. 

The rites and symbols of the Old Testament all 
find their fulfilment in Christ crucified. Their centre 
was the tabernacle. Enter it and observe how it is 
everywhere sprinkled with blood. Here is blood 
flowing down the brazen altar, blood on the ewer, 
the golden candlestick, the table of showbread, the 
altar of in ense; blood on the floor, the ceiling, on 
posts and pillars, on knops and blossoms, everywhere. 
Lift the curtain and pass into the holiest of all — but 
not without blood on your palms. Here is blood on 
the ark of the covenant, blood on the mercy-seat — 
blood, blood everywhere. What does it mean ? No- 
thing, absolutely nothing, unless it declares the ne- 
cessity of the cross. It is an empty dumb-show, 



14 



THE WONDROUS CROSS. 



except as it points the worshiper to Him whose vica- 
rious death is the only means of our salvation. 

Wherefore I say, the man who denies this truth 
must set himself against the sum and substance of 
the Scriptures. For if the atoning death of Christ 
be taken out of that blessed Book it is, as a solu- 
tion of the great problem of life, of no more value 
than a last year's almanac. 

2. Again, a denial of this doctrine involves a downright 
rejectio7i of the philosophy of history. 

The world has been growing better ever since the 
cross first cast its luminous shadow over it. Progress 
is a fact — a fact that must be accounted for. Hume 
undertook to write history without Christ, and found 
it a labyrinth without a clue. So did Gibbon. They 
saw civilization advancing through the centuries ; but, 
rejecting Christ, they could perceive no reason for it. 
The "logic of events " was nothing to them. There 
can, indeed, be no "philosophy of history" for a 
man who refuses to see Constantine's cross in the 
heavens, with its great prophecy, " In hoc signo." It 
is a miraculous coincidence that the limits of civiliza- 
tion on earth to-day are coextensive with the charmed 
circle known as Christendom. "The world before 
Christ," says Luthardt, "was a world without love." 
The church with the proclamation of Christ, and him 
crucified, has come down through the centuries, like 
Milton's angel with the torch; and all along the way 
have sprung up institutions of learning and charity and 
righteousness. The cross is the vital power of civili- 
zation. "All the light of sacred " and of secular story 
as well "gathers round its head sublime." If the 
world grows better, it is because Christ died for it. 



THE WONDROUS CROSS. 



15 



3. Still further, to deny the vital importance of the 
vicarious death of Jesus is to contradict the universal 
instinct of mankind. 

The doctrine of the redemptive power of substitu- 
tionary pain is not our exclusive property. It has, 
indeed, a place in all, or nearly all, the false religions. 
It may be dimly seen in the hammer of Thor; in the 
wounded foot of Brahma treading on the serpent; in 
the fable of Prometheus, bound to the Caucasus with 
a vulture at his vitals, and lamenting, "I must en- 
dure this until one of the gods shall bear it for me." 
It is still more evident in the institution of the sacri- 
fice. Wherever a living thing is slain upon the altar, 
it means vicarious expiation, or else it means nothing 
at all. 

And why should it be thought strange that God 
should send his only-begotten Son to suffer in our 
stead ? Is not sympathy the noblest as well as the com- 
monest thing in human experience ? Men are suffer- 
ing everywhere and always for other men. Parents 
are suffering for their children. The pains which we 
all endure are, for the most part, not the consequence 
of our own acts. At this point of sympathy our na- 
ture reaches its noblest and best. We esteem above 
all the unselfish man who voluntarily bears the bur- 
dens of others. Should we not, then, expect some- 
thing of the same sort in our Father ? He made us 
in his likeness. It would be monstrous if God did 
not sympathize with his children who have fallen into 
trouble. The cross is the very highest expression of 
sympathy in the universe. The atonement is what 
we should expect. It is just like God. 

And it is God's exact response to the universal 



1 6 THE WONDROUS CROSS. 

need. It fits our circumstances. As Coleridge said, 
" The gospel finds me. " It answers the deepest long- 
ing of earnest souls. Dr. Chamberlain relates, that 
among those converted by his preaching at the sacred 
city of Benares was a devotee who had dragged him- 
self many miles upon his knees and elbows to bathe 
in the Ganges. He had at the bottom of his heart the 
common conviction of sin and desire of cleansing. 
" If I can but reach the Ganges," he thought, "this 
shame and bondage and fear will be taken away." 
Weak and emaciated from his long pilgrimage, he 
dragged himself down to the river's edge and, pray- 
ing to Gunga, crept into it; then withdrawing, he lay 
upon the river's bank and moaned, " The pain is still 
here!" At that moment he heard a voice from the 
shadow of a banyan-tree near by. It was the mis- 
sionary telling the story of the cross. The devotee 
listened, and drank it in, rose to his knees, then to 
his feet; then, unable to restrain himself, he clapped 
his hands and cried, "That's what I want! That's 
what I want!" It is what we all want; the whole 
creation has from time immemorial groaned and tra- 
vailed for it. 

And it is our only hope. There are other religions 
and other philosophies, but none that suggests a ra- 
tional plan of pardon for sin. Spes unica. I remem- 
ber an old crucifix, in the public square of a Brittany 
village, which no one passed without bending the 
knee. Workmen on their way to the fields, little 
children going to school, all bowed before that stone 
figure of the Christ, which the storms of centuries 
had worn almost out of human semblance. The last 
night, as I was leaving the village in the twilight, I 



THE WONDROUS CROSS. 



17 



saw an old woman bent almost prostrate before it. 
Her hands were clasped ; her uplifted face bore the 
marks of suffering. I could not know the bitterness 
of that poor heart, but her eyes were turned toward 
the infinite Source of help and consolation. The 
dear hand upon the cross lifts every burden, heals 
every wound, and saves us from the penalty, the 
shame, and the bondage of sin. 

And this is why we preach Christ, and him cruci- 
fied. " There is none other name under heaven given 
among men, whereby we must be saved." " He was 
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised 
for our iniquities; and with his stripes we are 
healed." He is thus made unto us wisdom and right- 
eousness and sanctification and redemption. He is 
first, last, midst, and all in all. 



Preached in Battell Chapel of Yale University, and here reprinted, by courtesy of 
Fleming H. Revell Co., from "The Culture of Christian Manhood." 



THE EASY YOKE 

" My yoke is easy." — Matt. xi. 30. 

Capernaum had a triple fame. It was beautiful 
for situation, and was known as ''the Pearl of Gen- 
nesaret"; as if it were a gem cast up by the waters 
of that pleasant inland sea. It was known also far 
and wide for its fishing industry. Zebedee and his 
sons, with other fishermen, moored their fleets and 
dragged their nets along its shores. Its chief renown, 
however, is due to the fact that Jesus dwelt there. 
It was called "his own city." The only perfect man 
who ever lived, walked among its people and gave 
them to know the full meaning of manhood and 
character. He preached to them the great truths ; 
1 ' burning thoughts in breathing words. " He wrought 
miracles of healing there; opening the eyes of the 
blind, cleansing lepers, and raising the dead. Surely 
the people of Capernaum should have been righteous 
above those of all the neighboring towns. 

But, alas ! the Scotch proverb is too often true, 
"Anear the kirk, afar frae God." The miracles of 
Jesus were a nine-days' wonder in Capernaum. His 
sermons were as water poured upon the ground, 
which cannot be gathered up again. The example 
of his perfect life was of no avail. The light shone 

(18) 



THE EASY YOKE. 1 9 

in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended 
it not. 

At last the patience of Jesus was worn out, and an 
admonition fell from his lips as terrible as the light- 
ning of Sinai: " Woe unto thee, Capernaum! Thou 
hast been exalted unto heaven ; thou shalt be brought 
down to hell! " Then straightway his voice fell and 
became as gentle as a mother's lullaby; and he 
stretched forth his hands, saying, "Come unto me, 
all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give 
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; 
for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find 
rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my 
burden is light." 

" Come! " It is a wonderful word — a great word — 
with the heart of the Infinite throbbing through it. 
It rings through the Scriptures like a morning greet- 
ing echoing down a ravine amid the mountains. The 
Old Book opens with it: "Come thou and all thy 
house into the ark." It is resonant everywhere: 
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the 
Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, 
they shall be as wool"; "Ho, every one that thirst- 
eth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no 
money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine 
and milk without money and without price." And 
the closing of the seals shows heaven and earth in 
vociferous accord: "The Spirit and the bride sa}^, 
Come! And let him that heareth say, Come! And 
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let 
him take the water of life freely." The patriarchs 
passed the sweet invitation on to the prophets; the 



2 THE EASY YOKE. 

prophets to the apostles and evangelists; and they, 
through a multitude -of ambassadors, down to me, 
who, as a minister of Jesus, in his stead beseech you 
in his words, " Come unto me, all ye that labor and 
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

If you, my good friend, do not enter into the ful- 
ness of the inheritance of Christ, it will not be be- 
cause he has not invited you. 

But let there be no mistake. Christ wants follow- 
ers, but they must come advisedly, and in full recog- 
nition of the fact that his service is no sinecure. He 
was the frankest teacher that ever spake to the chil- 
dren of men. He had come all the way from heaven 
to win them, and was ready to give his life in their 
behalf; but he must tell them the whole truth. Once 
when a company of these same people of Capernaum 
came trooping after him, he turned and said, "Come, 
but count the cost. See yonder ruined tower! A 
certain man began to build, and was not able to finish ; 
and, behold, all that pass by point their fingers at 
him." And it is written, "Many turned back and 
followed him no more." It means something to be a 
Christian. "If any man would come after me, let 
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and 
follow me." 

Our text is bi-frontal: it looks two ways. One of 
its faces is stern and forbidding; the other is as 
bright as a May morning. 

I. On the one hand the Christia?i life is set forth as a 
Yoke. No more repellent figure could have been 
found. The service of Christ is elsewhere character- 
ized in other ways, but there is always inspiration in 
the metaphor. Not so here. 



THE EASY YOKE. 21 

For example, it is a warfare. We go forth, not 
against flesh and blood, but against principalities and 
powers. There is no discharge in this war. Where- 
fore put ye on the whole armor of God : the girdle of 
truth, the breastplate of righteousness, sandals of the 
preparation of the gospel, the helmet of salvation 
with its waving plume, in your right hand the sword 
of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Thus armed 
and panoplied, 

" Fight on, my soul, till death 
Shall bring thee to thy God. 
He'll take thee at thy parting breath 
Up to his blest abode." 

Here is abundant stimulus — the banner and the 
bugle-blast, the hope of victory, and the crown of 
righteousness that fadeth not away. 

The Christian life is also husbandry. Go forth, 
bearing the precious seed ; sow beside all waters ; 
scatter the seed-corn along through the furrows, 
though it seem like wasting your children's bread. 
Bury your life for Jesus' sake; for except a corn of 
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; 
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Here 
again is inspiration. The sower sees with prophetic 
eye the waving harvest. He hears the groaning of 
the loaded wains on their way to the granaries and 
the song of the harvest-home. As it is written, " He 
that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, 
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing 
his sheaves with him." 

The service of Christ is also a strenuous game. 
We stand like the Olympic athletes, with our feet 
at the crimson line, stripped to the waist, every nerve 



2 2 THE EASY YOKE. 

and sinew tense, eyes fixed upon the distant goal. 
The galleries are filled with a great cloud of wit- 
nesses; wherefore let us run with steadfastness the 
race that is set before us. " Forgetting the things 
which are behind, and reaching forth unto the things 
which are before, let us press toward the mark for 
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 
Ah! here, too, is inspiration! 

But what is there to quicken the pulse in this dull 
picture ? — two patient, meek-eyed oxen, with their 
necks bowed to the burden, asking no question, mak- 
ing no suggestion, uncomplaining, unresisting, plod- 
ding on, plodding on. 

The yoke means labor, to begin with. The Christian 
life is more than creed. It is more than a name on a 
church roster. It is more than emotion, hosannas, 
and hallelujahs. It is more than self -culture. It 
involves more or less of these, but something far be- 
yond. Go, work ! We sing, "The gospel ship is 
sailing, sailing, bound for Canaan's happy shore." 
But in fact this business is not a ship in which a man 
can pay his fare like Jonah, engage an outside state- 
room, and so pass comfortably on to the better land ; 
it is a trireme rather, with many banks of oars — an 
oar for every soul, and every soul bound to bend to 
his oar until the keel shall grate upon the sand of the 
Far Country. 

A young man asked of Jesus, "Are there few that 
be saved?" He answered, " Strive to enter in; for 
many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able." 
The word "strive" is, literally, "agonize." 

" There's a work for me and a work for you, 
Something for each of us now to do." 



THE EASY YOKE. 23 

The yoke means, also, self-abnegation. "If any man 
will come after me, let him deny himself." These 
patient oxen are not working for themselves. They 
have no purpose of their own ; they only, always do 
their master's will. 

The three steps to heaven are these: "out of self, 
unto Christ, into glory." But the beginning is out of 
self. The man who truly follows Christ puts self 
more and more into the background. Self-pleasing, 
self-emolument, self-salvation, self-culture, all these 
dwindle in view of the ever-increasing importance of 
caring for the interests of a perishing world and the 
glory of God. A better hymn than "When I can 
read my title clear," is "Throw out the life-line;" 
and better still, " All hail the power of Jesus' name! " 
We do not come up to the full measure of the stature 
of Christ until our lives are blended with his; not 
until we can speak as Luther did: " If any man come 
and knock at my breast and ask, ' Does Martin 
Luther live here ? ' I answer, ' Nay, not now; he did ; 
but now Jesus Christ lives here." 

The yoke, furthermore, means co-operation with Christ. 
This is indicated in the term cross-bearing. " If any 
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and 
take up his cross and follow me." 

At this point let us correct a misapprehension. 
There are good people who speak of their sorrows 
and adversities as crosses. A bad temper, a hacking 
cough, a bereavement, a vicious appetite, a skeleton 
in the closet; these are referred to as crosses. In- 
deed, they are hard to bear, and there is a great re- 
ward for those who patiently endure "the whips and 
scorns of time, the slings and arrows of outrageous 



24 THE EASY YOKE. 

fortune." Here is the promise: "No affliction for 
the present seemeth joyous, but grievous; but in the 
end it worketh the peaceable fruit of righteousness 
to them that are exercised thereby." Nevertheless 
these are not crosses. The harrow is one thing, the 
cross another. 

What is the cross ? It gets its name and all its 
significance from the analogy of the cross of Jesus. 
And what was that ? A voluntary work which he 
undertook for the salvation of men — a work involving 
pain, unceasing effort, self-sacrifice, even unto death. 
This was not thrust upon him ; he had power to lay 
it down and power to take it up. He lifted his 
cross and carried it up the slopes of Calvary until his 
great heart brake under it. And this he did volun- 
tarily, for the deliverance of the world from sin. The 
crocs which he invites us to bear, is like his own; it 
means participation in the great work of delivering 
the world from its shame and horror of sin. "As the 
Father hath sent me into the world," he said, "so 
send I you." He came to answer the world's cry for 
help. He sends us also to answer it. No man has 
taken up his cross, therefore, in the true sense, until 
he has entered into fellowship with Jesus in his great 
work for the deliverance. of the souls of men. 

All this is suggested in the figure of the yoke. 
Does it seem beyond our strength ? Let us turn then 
to the brighter side. 

II. " My yoke is easy." This is singular. It is a 
paradox. Yokes are not easy as a rule. Ask the 
slave in Pharaoh's brickyard, making bricks without 
straw under the lash of a hard task-master, whether 
he finds his yoke easy: and he will tell you that he 



THE EASY YOKE 25 

wets his pillow with his tears. Ask the captive 
dragged at the chariot wheels of his conqueror, if he 
finds his yoke easy; and he will answer, "It is bit- 
terer than death." Ask the sensualist who has pur- 
sued pleasure until pleasure has turned upon him 
with a whip of scorpions, — who has lived in self- 
gratification until the last Sodom-apple has changed 
to ashes on his lips, — whether his yoke is easy: and 
he will say as Lord Byron did, — poor Byron, who 
died of old age at thirty-six: — 

"My days are in the yellow leaf; 

The flowers and fruits of love are gone; 
The worm, the canker, and the grief 
Are mine alone ! " 

Now ask the old father sitting with his Bible on his 
knee, burdened with his years, and searching out 
with dim eyes the exceeding great and precious 
promises, how he has found Christ's burden; and he 
will tell you, that it has been light as the feathers on 
a bird's wing with which it mounts toward the skies. 
But why is this ? What makes the Christian yoke 
easy, while all others are so heavy to be borne ? 

(1) It is because this yoke is always for two. It is not 
his will that any of his followers should bear it alone. 
Did He not say, " Lo, I am with you always, even 
unto the end of the world ? " No friend is so near; 
He is nearer than seeing, nearer than touching. His 
help is more than sympathy; omnipotence is behind 
it. 

Have you been making a brave effort to conquer a 
darling sin ? Have you gone out full-armed with 
holy purpose to overthrow a habit that has gained 
dominion over you? and have you failed, failed again 



26 THE EASY YOKE 

and again ignominiously? Ah, my friend, you left 
him out of the reckoning ! Try it again, and try it 
with Jesus at your side; the Mighty One who never 
lost a battle, and who longs to fulfil to you his great 
promise, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against 
you." It is not you alone who are to get the better 
of your sins; it is Christ and you. 

Have you a difficult duty to perform ? Do you 
shrink from it as hard and forbidding ? Remember 
that this yoke is for two, and when you go to meet 
this responsibility, say to yourself, " Not I, but Christ 
and I. " We sing, ' ' One more day's work for Jesus ; " 
suppose we put it this way, "One more day's work 
with Jesus." 

O blessed work with Jesus, 
O rest at Jesus' feet; 

There toil seems pleasure, 

My wants are treasure, 

And pain with him is sweet, 

Have you been offering a prayer for years, and 
mourning because there was no answer nor any that 
regarded, — a prayer perhaps for the conversion of a 
dear friend or the reclaiming of a wayward son ? You 
have sprinkled the mercy-seat with your tears in vain, 
crying, "How long, O Lord, how long?" Alas for 
your intercessory success ! you have made your prayer 
alone. Now kneel again at the mercy-seat and feel 
that close beside you is kneeling the One who ever 
liveth to make intercession for you, and say within 
your heart, "It is not I who make this prayer, but 
Christ and I." 

We who are appointed as ambassadors to preach the 
gospel of salvation, ascend our pulpit stairs with 



THE EASY YOKE. 27 

trembling knees, saying, "Who is sufficient unto 
these things ? " O brethren of the ministry, we for- 
get. This is not our work ; we are but underlings. 
We do not preach alone; he stands beside us in the 
sacred place. It is not I, but always Christ and I. 
" Lo I am with you," is his word. And ours should be, 
" I can do all things through Christ which strength- 
ened me." 

(2) The yoke is also easy by reason of the mens conscia 
recti ; that is, the sense of doing right. In all the world 
there is nothing so uplifting as a good conscience. 
I know that it is right to love God. I know that it is 
right to surrender myself as a living sacrifice to the 
Lord Christ who gave himself for me. I know that 
it is right to spend and be spent in the behalf of my 
fellow-men. If a bad conscience makes cowards of us 
all, by the same token a good conscience nerves the 
heart and strengthens us like a girdle about our loins. 

An old chronicler says of Saint Perpetua, that as 
she was brought from her dungeon and led under the 
great arch to the Arena, her inquisitor called her 
attention to the roar of the lions and said, "There 
is yet time to speak the word and live." She laid 
her hand upon her heart and answered, " I have 
that here which makes me fearless," and so passed on 
to death. As the wild beasts fell upon her, she lifted 
her eyes and hands to heaven and sang, "Glory to 
the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as 
it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen." A little later her 
mangled body was carried out on a bier; and the old 
bishop of the city laid his hand upon her blood-stained 
face, gently parted the clotted hair, and said, " I give 



28 THE EASY YOKE. 

thee joy, my daughter! " A strange word at such a 
moment. And yet why not ? There is nothing bet- 
ter in heaven or on earth than the sense of right 
doing. There is nothing better to live by, nothing 
better to die by. 

(3) And there is still another consideration which 
makes the yoke easy and the burden light; that is y the 
great reward. No man hath given up aught for Christ 
but that he shall receive in this present time an hun- 
dredfold and in the time to come life everlasting. 

In this present time an hundredfold! Here is a 
rare investment in gold-bearing bonds. If there were 
no eternity, if there were no heaven, the service of 
Christ pays for itself here and now. We take of the 
grapes of Eshcol before we reach the Promised Land. 
There are moments when we enter the closet bowed 
down under great burdens and meet the Lord; and 
presently come forth with something glistening on 
our eyelashes and something throbbing fast in our 
veins, to tell of a joy the world cannot give, a joy 
which is found only in communion with God. These 
are earnests, foretastes, partial payments for our en- 
couragement along the way. They are like the chaff 
which was thrown upon the Nile, to tell the starving 
people by the Delta, that there was plenty and to 
spare in Joseph's granaries higher up. They are mo- 
mentary joys given to cheer us while we bear the heat 
and burden of the day. 

But, as Bunyan says, "The milk and honey are 
beyond the wilderness." In the time to come life 
everlasting! Here we pause. It is not possible to 
tell the meaning of those words. " Eye hath not seen, 
ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the 



THE EASY YOKE. 29 

heart of man to conceive, the things which God hath 
prepared for those that love him." 

How little will seem all the cares and burdens and 
cross-bearings of this present life when we are yonder. 
In the time of King Herod an indiscreet youth named 
Agrippa was fond of singing the praises of his friend 
Caligula who had a presumptive claim to the throne. 
For this he was cast into a dungeon and loaded with 
chains. One day there was a footfall in the corridor 
and a voice cried, " Caligula reigns! Long live Ca- 
ligula!" The door was thrown open and Agrippa 
was led forth. Purple was exchanged for his rags, a 
tetrarchy for his narrow cell ; his chains were weighed 
and their weight in gold was given him. O friends, 
the crowning day is coming when Christ shall tri- 
umph over all. Then what shall be the joy, the 
satisfaction, the honorable promotion, of those who 
have followed and faithfully served him ? 

Is there one among you who is cast down and dis- 
couraged ? Has the way seemed rough, the burden 
heavy ? Have you been thwarted, opposed and per- 
haps inclined to give up ? Take heart, my friend, 
Per crucem, ad lucem ! Per aspera, ad astra / By the 
rough road to the stars! I hear the songs of heaven 
coming this way. I see the light streaming through 
the gates. The odors of the King's garden flow to- 
ward us. O the hosannas and hallelujahs! The 
glory dazzles like a sun-burst. Life! Life! Eternal 
life! 

"Toil on; in hope o'ercome 

The steeps God set for thee; 

For past the Alpine summits of great toil 

Lieth thine Italy ". 



AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 

''Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and 
ink : but I trust to come unto you and speak face to face, that our joy may 
be full." — II. John 12. 

In the year 68 the Emperor Nero died and the 
world breathed a sigh of relief. Prison doors were 
thrown open and the sound of breaking chains was 
heard throughout the Empire. An old man who had 
been for years an exile on the lonely island of Patmos, 
found his way to Asia Minor. It was the Apostle 
John, the sole survivor of the old guard. Whither 
should he go ? He looked toward Capernaum ; but 
his home there was desolate, his father Zebedee was 
dead, and James, his beloved brother, had been slain 
by Herod's sword. He looked toward Jerusalem ; but 
the clouds which were to burst in the awful storm of 
Titus's conquest, were already gathering over that 
doomed city. Whither should he go ? He betook 
himself to the fellowship of a little company of Chris- 
tians in Ephesus, who worshipped under the shadow 
of the great temple of Diana, and there he passed the 
remainder of his days. 

It is believed that John lived to be above one hun- 
dred years of age. In his decrepitude he was wont 
to be carried to the church in a litter; and Inhere, lift- 
ing his trembling hands above the congregation, he 

(30) 



AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 3 1 

would say: " Little children, love one another! " In 
his later years he made an itinerary of the churches 
of Asia. It would appear that during one of these 
journeys he had met the children of a long-time friend, 
and had found them living an earnest Christian life 
amid innumerable temptations. He could not for- 
bear writing his congratulations to their mother, the 
widow Kyria. We have this letter in his Second 
Epistle, which is addressed, "To the Elect Lady." 

It was not an easy matter for this old man to write. 
See him bending over the parchment. His eyes are 
dim, his hands tremulous. With much labor he traces 
the lines: "Grace be with you, mercy and peace, 
from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Son of the Father, in truth and love." Then fol- 
low his congratulations: "I rejoice greatly that I 
have found of thy children walking in truth." Then 
an exhortation as to mutual love. Then an earnest 
admonition as to false teachers : " For many deceivers 
are entered into the world, who confess not that 
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. Whosoever abid- 
eth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. If 
there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, 
receive him not into your house, neither bid him God 
speed." At this point the letter breaks off abruptly. 
The old eyes were too dim, the fingers too sti-ff and 
tremulous. A brief postscript, and he will have 
done: "Having many things to write unto you, I 
would not write with paper and ink : but I trust to 
come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy 
may be full." 

How like life itself is this epistolary fragment ! For 
what is life but a short letter with an eternal post- 



$2 AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 

script ? It is a dream, an eagle hastening to the prey, 
foam upon the waters, a swift ship, a cloud sweeping 
overhead, a tale that is told. "We need no reed," 
says Matthew Henry, "no pole, nor measuring line, 
wherewith to take the dimensions of our days; nor 
any skill in arithmetic wherewith to compute the 
number of them. No ; we have the standard of them 
at our fingers' ends ; it is but one handbreadth in all. " 
Is life worth living then ? Not if its sum total is 
here and now. If death ends all, it were easy to ac- 
count for the sixteen suicides recently reported in 
this city in a single day. Why should a man endure 
an insufferable burden of pain and trouble "when he 
himself might his quietus make with a bare bodkin? " 
The sooner it's over, the sooner to sleep. 

" Out, out, brief candle! 
Life's but a walking shadow." 

But death does not end all. The brief period that 
we call life, is merely the preface of an endless se- 
rial. Indeed life does not begin until this period of 
preparation is over. Death is Commencement. We 
climb the steps of the great temple, bearing our bur- 
den with us, until worn and weary we reach the 
threshold; the door flies open, and a good angel, 
whom we have strangely called the King of Terrors, 
bids us enter and begin to live. 

"Life, we have been long together, 
In pleasant and in stormy weather ; 
'Tis hard to part when friends are dear, 
Perhaps, 'twill cost a sigh, a tear. 
Then steal away ; give little warning ; 
Say not, 'Good night,' but in some brighter clime 
Give me, ' Good morning' /" 



AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 33 

We drop the stylus from our trembling fingers, fold 
up the parchment, go forth into the presence of the 
great verities, and see face to face forever. 

So is it with all life's ambitions. No purpose is 
completed here. "All life's sweetest chapters end like 
the fourteenth of John, 'Arise, let us go hence'." 
All our purposes end in the middle of a sentence, 
like " Edwin Drood." It is safe to say that Methuse- 
lah, having lived nine hundred and sixty and nine 
years, called his sons about his death-bed and en- 
joined them to complete what he had left undone. 
The Lord Christ alone could say, " Tetelestaif" His 
life was rounded and complete. 

There are many things, indeed, which cannot be 
written with pen and paper. When Dr. John Elias 
was asked to print his sermons, he answered, "Im- 
possible; you cannot put fire into cold type." Our 
life here is — like letter-writing — a temporary expe- 
dient. Its noblest thoughts and purposes and aspira- 
tions await for their full expression the eternity 
when we shall stand face to face with truth and 
God. 

I. We find incompleteness in the pursuit of knowledge. 
To the knowledge of visible things we apply the pre- 
tentious term Science, which is from scire, meaning 
" to know." But how little we really know ! " The 
summit of wisdom," as Socrates said, "is to be aware 
of our ignorance." Or, as John Owen put it, 

" All things I thought I knew ; but now confess, 
The more I know I know, I know the less." 

Here is a pebble. We crush and analyze it. We 
determine its component parts. We discover that it 



34 AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 

is formed of certain materials and governed by cer- 
tain forces acting according to fixed laws. But more 
than this we cannot write with pen and paper. There 
is more beyond, but the curtain falls on our bewil- 
derment. And this is the Science of Geology. 

Here is a blade of grass. I tear it apart, dissect 
and analyze. The color scheme and the pattern of 
the fabric are plain to see. But in my scrutiny I 
have come upon a strange thing which is called Life; 
and I can write no more ; the curtain falls. And this 
is the Science of Biology. 

I gaze upon the stars. "Look how the floor of 
heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold." 
Here are ten thousand times ten thousand and thou- 
sands of thousands; and, as I gaze, still more come 
wheeling into place like ships to join an infinite 
armada. I turn upon them my scientific implements, 
make a spectral analysis, and measure the distance 
from planet to planet. Then my gaze wanders to 
the interstellar spaces, and I query, "What lies be- 
yond ? " But there is no answer, nor any that re- 
gardeth. My essay is broken in twain. And this is 
the Science of Astronomy. 

I am standing at the manger and gazing into the 
face of the Child. I hear voices saying, "Here is 
God wrapped in swaddling bands," and, " Here God- 
hood and manhood are woven warp and woof into 
one Fabric. " But what shall I write ? ' ' Great is the 
mystery of Godliness, God manifest in flesh; angels 
desire to look into it! " No more. Again the curtain 
falls. And this is the Science of Theology. 

But is this all ? Is knowledge then the touching of 
merely the outermost fringe of truth ? Then were 



THE EASY YOKE. 35 

Agnosticism the logical conclusion. But this is base 
and sordid and unworthy of us. As if we were to 
say, "I have caught a glimpse, and, lo! it was delu- 
sion." Nay; blessed be God, where eyesight fails, 
faith begins. "We know in part, but we shall know 
even as we are known." What is faith ? " The sub- 
stance of things hoped for, the evidence of things 
not seen." Our natural faculties cannot reach be- 
yond the circumscription of our finger tips, but faith 
reaches out into the infinite. " Now we see through 
a glass darkly, but then face to face." The fragment 
of our knowledge ends thus: "To be continued in 
our next." 

By faith we solve the mystery of the pebble, and 
behind the law catch sight of the Law-giver. By 
faith we lift the curtain that falls at the announce- 
ment of life, and stand face to face with the Life- 
Giver. By faith we gaze through the interstellar 
spaces and behold One seated on a throne, high and 
lifted up. By faith we hear from the lips of the 
Christ-child the message of the gospel, "God so 
loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, 
but have everlasting life." The best that scientists 
can do, is to write the unfinished letter; it is for faith 
to complete it. 

II. We observe a similar incompleteness in our efforts at 
character-building. The most discouraging thing in 
the world is to try to be somebody, to come up to the 
full stature of a man as made in the likeness of God. 
We have ethical rules, noble aspirations, and a splen- 
did Ideal. The elements of worth and true greatness 
are in every man. We have a conscience that deter- 



36 AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 

mines betwixt the worse and better reason. We look 
into the face of the perfect One and long to be like 
him. But we are continually thwarted and disap- 
pointed. Sin strengthened by habit has an almost 
irresistible grip upon us. Heredity is against us; 
our forebears are dragging us down. Environment 
also is against us. So, alas! there is no difference; 
we all come short of the glory of God, and of the 
glory of manhood as God has revealed it. 

If there is any who questions the truth of this gen- 
eralization and is moved to say, "I, for one, am not 
so characterless as you would make me out," see how 
small a thing will put him down. If God were to 
come and say to you, — "Friend, I am disposed to be 
as lenient as possible in your case. I will not judge 
you by the sum total of your life ; but tell me a single 
deed you have done which is so absolutely free from 
all taint of sinful motive or selfishness that you 
would be willing to adventure your eternal destiny 
upon it, and that shall be your criterion at the great 
day"; where would you lay your hand upon it ? 

But none who has caught the high spirit of Christ- 
ianity will, for a moment, hesitate to admit his own 
unworthiness. The world criticises Christians; and 
there is abundant ground for it. No one knows bet- 
ter than ourselves the vast gulf between our charac- 
ter and our Ideal. We are our own severest critics. 
The good we would, we do not, and the evil we 
would not, that we do. 

Was there ever a more earnest striver than the 
Apostle Paul? Yet how incomplete was his endeavor! 
Hear his confession: "Brethren, I count not myself 
to have apprehended, as though I had already at- 



AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 37 

tained, or were already perfect." The perfectionist 
is a mere masker, deceiving nobody, not even him- 
self, least of all his God. 

But shall we end the record here ? Is there no 
postscript ? Is there nothing to look forward to ? 
The past is indeed not without its encouragement; 
for, despite the fact that the motions of sin are still in 
us, we must have grown by very virtue of our life. 
" I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I mean 
to be; but by the grace of God I am what I am." 
An eternity is before us. Sin loses its grip in the 
article of death. The chains shall be broken, and 
we shall rejoice in an infinite freedom of spiritual 
growth. " Now are we sons of God, and it doth 
not yet appear what we shall be ; but when he shall 
appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as 
he is." 

III. And there is a like incompleteness in our work. We 
set out to accomplish great things for God. We 
dream dreams and see visions, and they dissolve 
about us like castles in the air. We are cut off in the 
midst of our days, and the story ends with "Finis." 
But is this, again, the end ? I do not think so little 
of life, and I have not so poor an opinion of the God 
who made it. There is something beyond. The 
loose threads of the unfinished fabric will be gath- 
ered up; the preparation of these years will all be 
utilized in the endless aeons. 

An English lad was moved by a noble ambition ; 
he would prepare himself to do some great thing for 
God. He plodded through his text books, finished 
his theological course, and settled in his first parish 
at Anworth. The«re he declared the unsearchable 



38 AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 

riches of Christ with flaming lips. He looked for a 
harvest of souls, but it came not. He agonized in 
prayer, and still it came not. He wrote just before 
he died, — 

" O! if one soul from An worth 
Meet me at God's right hand, 
My heaven will be two heavens 
In Immanuel's land." 

So ended his life. The pen fell from his trembling 
fingers ; but shall the biography of Rutherford end 
there ? " One soul" did he long for ? The harvest 
that he never saw, has grown luxuriant upon his 
grave. Thousands on thousands of souls rise up to 
call him blessed. From the high heaven, where he 
sees face to face and knows even as he is known, 
Rutherford sees of the travail of his soul and is 
satisfied. 

The two most indispensable men of the Old Econ- 
omy, as it would appear, were Moses and Elias. The 
former led the children of Israel out of their bondage 
through the wilderness to the border of the promised 
land. And just there, when it seemed as if himself 
alone could lead them in, he was called up into the 
mountain where he sang his death song: 

1 'O Lord, we spend our years as a tale that is told. The 
days of our years are threescore years and ten ; and if by 
reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their 
strength labor and sorrow: for it is soon cut off, and we fly 
away. Let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory 
unto their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our 
God be upon us : and establish thou the work of our hands 
upon us: yea, the work of our hands establish thou it" 

And Elias the great reformer wrought for the de- 



AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 39 

liverance of Israel in a time of great spiritual need. 
He had brought the nation to the very verge of pure 
religion, when God sent the chariot of fire. As he 
went upward, the voice of lamentation was heard: 
"O my father, the horses of Israel and the chariots 
thereof! '' Thus the work of these two mighty men 
seemed to be broken in the midst and to have reached 
an utter end. 

But when a thousand years have passed, lo, here 
are Moses and Elias on the mount of transfiguration, 
and they speak with Jesus of the decease which he 
shall accomplish at Jerusalem! The continuity of 
their lives was not broken at all. In the interim they 
had kept abreast of the history of God's people and 
were in full sympathy with its magnificent denoue- 
ment in the work of redemption. Thus in the fulness 
of time God did establish the work of their hands 
upon them. 

What, now, are the practical lessons of our theme ? 
First, do not forget or omit the postscript. He is a 
foolish man who leaves eternity out of the reckon- 
ing. It is the thought of eternity that makes life 
worth living. It is otherwise a thing of mere threads 
and thrums. It needs the infinite outlook to com- 
plete it. The world has known no greater artist than 
Raphael. What Madonnas he painted! what faces 
of Christ! And he died at thirty-seven. Has he 
ceased to paint, think you ? 

"When earth's last picture is painted, 
And the tubes are twisted and dried ; 
When the oldest colors have faded, 

And the youngest critics have died ; 
We shall rest, — and O ! we shall need it, — 



40 AN UNFINISHED LETTER. 

Lie down for a moment or two,* 
Till the Master of all good workmen 
Shall set us to work anew. 

"And those that were good, shall be happy; 

They shall sit in a golden chair ; 
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas 

With brushes of comet's hair. 
They shall have real saints to draw from, 

Magdalene, Peter and Paul, 
They shall work for an age at a sitting, 

And never be tired at all. 
"And only the Master shall praise us, 

And only the Master shall blame; 
And no one shall work for money, 

And no one shall work for fame; 
But each for the joy of working, 

And each in his separate star, 
Shall draw the thing as he sees it 

For the God of things as they are." 

And finally, live to-day. We must make our be- 
ginning here. As the tree falleth, so also shall it lie. 
Let us not waste our years in pursuits which would 
be out of place in the eternal life. Let us cease 
chasing thistle-down and playing with yellow dust; 
these are not worthy of immortal men. The present 
life is momentous, because, and only because, it looks 
on toward eternity. We must walk while it is day, 
for the night cometh. Ab hoc momento pendet cetemitas ! 
Our seventy years here and now are more important 
than seventy cycles cut out of eternity, because the 
making of all eternity is in them. Write your brief 
letter well, my friend; but always remember that 
there are things which cannot be written with ink and 
paper. Live to-day, if you would live forever. 

* A liberty is here taken with Mr. Kipling's theology. He writes "for an 
aeon or two " ; but we shall not lie down for an aeon or anything like it. The 
question of soul-sleeping was settled definitely and finally when Jesus said : 
" To-day shalt thou be with, me in Paradise." 



THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 



And there were six steps to the throne with a footstool of gold." 

II. Chron. 9, 18. 



The glory of Jewish history found its consumma- 
tion in the reign of Solomon. The magnificence of 
his establishment centered in the House of the Forest 
of Lebanon, and the tower before it, on which were 
suspended a thousand golden shields like the necklace 
of coins adorning an oriental bride. The brightest 
point of splendor in this palace was the throne. It 
was of ivory overlaid with gold, and on either side 
were six golden lions, symbols of sovereign power. 
It was a great day in Israel when Solomon ascended 
the six steps from the golden footstool and took his 
place on that magnificent throne. No fabled grandeur 
of the kings of Samarcand was comparable with this. 
It found expression in the proverb, " Solomon in all 
his glory. " 

The rabbis in their traditions loved to dwell on the 
transcendent beauty of this ivory throne. The Arab- 
ian legends are mellifluous in praise of it. The sac- 
red historian himself is moved to say, "There was 
not the like made in any kingdom." Nevertheless as 
Solomon was a living type of One to come, whose 
perfections should surpass his as the sun outshines a 

(41) 



42 THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 

glowworm, so the ivory throne is a mere suggestion 
of one that borrows an unspeakable glory from the 
Christ who sits upon it, to wit, The Throne of True 
Manhood. The place of highest exaltation is by the 
side of Jesus in the estate of regenerated and sancti- 
fied character. To be a true man, loyal to truth, 
reverent toward duty, high-spirited and magnan- 
imous, with ''noble thoughts seated in a soul of 
honor," moved by great purposes and free from the 
corrupting power of sin — this is to be greater than 
Solomon in all his glory, this is indeed to sit on an 
Ivory Throne as younger brother of the Ideal Man. 
I. As yet, however, under the dominion of sin, we 
stand but at The Golden Footstool. Here is the dignity 
of our fallen manhood; we are created in the image 
and after the likeness of God. In every element of 
our tripartite being we bear the tokens of our noble 
birth. Our body stands erect in an imperial attitude 
with face toward the skies; our minds can grasp the 
solemn truths of nature and the endless life; our 
spirits can think our Father's thoughts and bow the 
knee in worship before him. We have thus all the 
essential qualities of kingship except the crown. 
Something has happened. The blood royal surges 
through our veins, but the king's purple is stripped 
off. The crown prince stands at the Golden Foot- 
stool, clothed in unseemly rags, with an impotent 
reed in his hands. 

So fallen, so lost ! 

The light withdrawn which once he wore ! 

Of all the rare endowment, naught 

Save power remains, 
A fallen angel's pride of thought, 

Still strong in chains. 



THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 43 

Of his lost heritage he has nothing left but memory 
and hope. He has within him, even at his worst, a 
reminiscence of something lost ; the fluttering of help- 
less wings which Plato thought to be memorial of a 
pre-existent state. And his eyes are uplifted to the 
Ivory Throne. He knows that there are great possi- 
bilities within him. He hopes to regain his manhood. 
In his best moments he cries with Augustine, " Lord, 
thou hast created us for thyself, therefore our heart 
is restless within us, until it find its rest in thee." 

II. And the way is provided for his restoration. 
There are Six Steps leading from this Golden Footstool to 
the Ivory Throne. 

(1) We must begin with an acknowledgment of sin. It 
would be superserviceable for me to say to any man 
that he has sinned and come short of the glory of 
God, for all are conscious of it. There is not a pulse- 
beat, not a twinge of the nerves, not a mental process, 
which does not cry "Amen" to the words, "Thou 
art a sinner." We know and feel it. We cannot 
ignore or disguise it. It needs no Bible or preacher 
to declare it. 

But there is a misapprehension here. We need a 
definition. What is sin ? It is the fashion in many 
quarters to regard it as an unfortunate disease, for 
which we are to be rather pitied than blamed. A 
thief summoned before a criminal court is defended 
as a victim of kleptomania. An inebriate who has 
wittingly taken an enemy into his mouth to steal 
away his brains and forged upon himself the chains 
of habit, is defended on the plea of dipsomania. By 
the same token, if David were arraigned before one 
of our courts in the matter of Bathsheba, he would 



44 THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 

be called an erotomaniac; helpless, pitiable and in- 
culpable, because the fever of illicit passion had taken 
possession of him. Not so, however, did he regard 
himself; for when conscience awoke, he staggered up 
to his chamber on the housetop, threw himself upon 
his knees in an agony of penitence, and acknowl- 
edged his personal responsibility in the cry, "O 
God, against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done 
this evil in thy sight." Here then is the definition of 
sin: it is any want of conformity unto, or transgres- 
sion of, God's holy law. 

Have you, my friend, formed such a conception of 
sin ? Does it stand forth in your conscience as an act 
or habit of rebellion against the divine authority ? If 
not, you have not begun to tread the stairway leading 
to the restoration of manhood and the favor of God. 

(2) The next step upward is in an acknowledgement of 
death j that is, of the consequence of sin. For death 
follows sin as effect follows cause. 

But what is the death that follows sin ? It is the 
antithesis of life: "This is life eternal, to know 
God." It is life to be in harmony with God's pur- 
poses, to be ever in filial relation and communion 
with him. And death is to be out of harmony with 
his purposes and to be exiled from him. This means 
an eternal dethronement; never to realize the possi- 
bilities of our nature; never to attain unto manhood 
which in its verity is peace with God. Exile from 
God! All hell, the gnawing worm, the unquenchable 
fire, is in the words, " Depart from me!" 

Let it not be thought, however, that death is by 
an arbitrary edict; it is the inevitable result of the 
laws inherent in our nature. We are under the law 



THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 45 

of holiness, because we are made in the likeness of 
God. If a planet flies from its orbit, what shall save 
it from the wreck of matter and the crash of worlds? 
If a man transgress the law of his being, he fixes his 
destiny in alienation from God. His word, "The 
soul that sinneth, it shall die," is not an edict, but 
the statement of a fact which is interwoven with our 
being; that is, "Sin, when it is finished, bringeth 
forth death." His " Depart! " is but a forensic an- 
nouncement of the just sentence of law. 

Have you, my friend, formed this conception of sin ? 
Do you realize that without holiness no man shall 
see God? Have you read clearly over the gateway 
of the celestial city, "There shall in no wise enter 
here anything that worketh abomination or maketh 
a lie ? " 

(3) And then it is necessary that there should be an ac- 
knowledgment of impotency. As long as a man thinks he 
can get himself out of this difficulty by main force, 
there is no hope for him. How shall he save himself 
from the record of the past? By penance ? Nay; 
reason revolts at the thought of lashing one's body 
for the sins of his soul. By morality ? It is more 
than we can do to keep up with our current liabilities. 
You cannot save your property from going under the 
hammer for delinquent taxes by paying the taxes for 
1897. By reformation? Hell is paved with good 
resolutions. He who is satisfied to turn over a new 
leaf, is sure to find that the new leaf is much like the 
one before it. Do your best; yet the past unexpiated 
still confronts you. 

The man who endeavors to save himself, is like a 
falcon brought from its nest in the fastnesses of the 



46 THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 

hills; hooded, blindfold, and bound with a golden 
chain to the huntsman's hand. It can seek no quarry 
except at its master's will. It has wings, and eyes 
to gaze undazzled at the sun; but when it ventures 
forth, its flight is ever arrested by the golden leash. 

" Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings, 
Thy better portion trace." 

Alas! we cannot, for we are held back by the leash. 
There is a ''war in our members," so that "the 
good we would, we do not, and the evil we would 
not, that we do." 

Have you discovered your inability ? Are you 
weary of vain efforts at reformation ? Are you 
moved to confess, "I cannot!" Then you are half 
way up. 

(4) And now to prayer. The next step brings us to 
our knees. We look unto the hills from whence 
cometh our help. Why is it that a man, however 
impious, cries, "My God!" or, "God have mercy!" 
in moments of critical danger? It is because in our 
deepest souls we know that in the last emergency 
there is no hope except from God. 

It is a false pride in self-reliance that will not let 
us bow the pregnant hinges of the knee. It was a 
sinner sinking in the quicksands of his guilt and 
calling on God for mercy, who sang the grateful 
song, "This poor man cried and the Lord heard 
and saved him out of all his troubles. The Lord is 
nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth 
such as be of a contrite spirit. O taste and see that 
the Lord is good : blessed is the man that trusteth in 
him." 



THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 47 

Have you, my friend, taken your place by the side 
of the publican ? Have you put away all self-righte- 
ousness, and, beating upon your breast, made this ap- 
peal, " God be merciful to me a sinner " ? If so, help 
is near; you are not far from the kingdom of God. 

(5) The next step is acquiescence. For God has a 
plan of salvation all his own. You must put away 
all prejudgments and let him have his way with you. 
It is not for a penitent sinner to say how God shall 
deliver him. You may imagine it is easy for God, 
now that you have made your prayer, to reach down 
his omnipotent arm, and without further ceremony 
lift you up; but that cannot be. It is impossible, by 
the laws of the Divine Being, that he should ignore 
your sin. He cannot restore you to his favor with 
your sins unexpiated and your iniquities still upon 
you. His truth forbids, his justice forbids, his holi- 
ness forbids. 

A man in prison, worn with the burden of his 
chains and weary of the darkness, hears the foot- 
fall of the jailer and the clang of his keys; he cries, 
"O let me out! It is so easy a matter for you to 
turn the key; throw open this door and release me 
from these dreadful walls! " But the jailer answers, 
"I could not if I would, for there is a power be- 
hind this key, and an edict vaster than these walls, 
that forbids. Were I to release you, the law would 
still pursue you with a whip of scorpions, and justice, 
like the furies, would be on your track." In like 
manner I say, If God were to take you with your sins 
unshriven into his kingdom, the law unexpiated would 
confront you there and make a hell of heaven. 

But God has an effective plan for your deliverance. 



48 THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 

It is revealed in these words, " God so loved the 
world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that who- 
soever believeth in him should not perish, but have 
eternal life." He so loved the world and you — not in 
such a manner as to save you in disregard of truth 
and justice and holiness, for that were impossible — 
but so as to expiate your sins, fulfill the law, and 
satisfy justice in the vicarious death of his only- 
begotten and well beloved Son. Thus it is written, 
''Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness 
and peace have kissed each other." And thus the 
problem is solved, " How can God be just and also the 
justifier of the ungodly? " And the great question is 
answered, "How can a man be just with God?" 

Do you acquiesce in this plan? Are you willing to 
be saved in this way? Then are you within a single 
step of the Ivory Throne. 

(6) The last step is faith. For passive acquiescence 
is not enough. Here is a hand reached down, a hand 
with nail-prints in it. The ever-glorious Son of the 
Father, who is Elder Brother of us all, is thus eager 
to lift us up. Get hold of that hand, as you care for 
life, for your eternal destiny depends upon it! 

No man will deny that the God who in his infinite 
wisdom has devised this plan of salvation, who has 
provided for our deliverance at so great cost and 
offered all without money and without price, had the 
right to affix a condition upon it. The sole condi- 
tion is an appropriating faith. All that God asks, is 
that we shall be willing to receive his unspeakable gift 
and that we shall stretch forth our hand to grasp it. 

III. Thus have we climbed the steps to the Ivory Throne. 
It is the throne of manhood, — restored manhood in 



THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 49 

Christ. It is not the throne of divine sovereignty. 
When Salome asked of Jesus in behalf of her two 
sons that one of them should sit on his right hand 
and the other on his left in his kingdom, he answered, 
" It is not mine to give. " But it is his to give a place 
to every one of his followers beside him on the throne 
which he occupies as the glorified Son of Man. Here 
we become partakers of the divine nature, attain unto 
the fulness of his stature, participate with him as 
joint heirs of the great inheritance and dwell in close 
and eternal relationship with him. Here we shall 
reach ultimately the summit of the possibilities of 
human character in the fulfillment of the promise, 
"Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet 
appear what we shall be; but we know that when he 
shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see 
him as he is." 

The glory thus promised is for all who are willing 
to climb to it. The Christians of Laodicea were 
urged to aspire after it in these words, "To him that 
overcometh, will I give to sit together with me in my 
throne." He is the great Overcomer, who for the 
joy that was set before him endured the cross, des- 
pising the shame. As his disciples who overcome in 
his strength, we share in his glory — the glory of a 
victorious and resplendent manhood — and occupy the 
throne with him. 

I appeal to all that is best and noblest in human 
nature ; to the dreams and ambitions and aspirations 
that beckon us away from sin to eternal life. Let 
us realize the possibilities of our nature; we are in 
constant danger of allowing them to go by default 
through our folly and thoughtlessness. Sursum 



50 THE STEPS TO THE IVORY THRONE. 

cor da ! Up with thy heart, O son of the living God. 
Thou wast made to live forever. Reject not the prof- 
fer of life. "He came unto his own, and his own 
received him not; but" — hearken to this gracious 
word — " to as many as received him, to them gave he 
power to become the sons of God." 



SELAH. 

The Jews were a musical people. In their temple 
at Jerusalem there was a choir of four thousand 
trained voices. The central division of this choir was 
led by Heman, the right by Asaph and the left by 
Jeduthun. These bands of singers led the service 
antiphonally from the great galleries, and the con- 
gregation made response like the sound of many 
waters. And this choir was supported by a vast or- 
chestra of one hundred and twenty trumpets, with 
harps and psalteries and cymbals. It is hardly pos- 
sible for us at this distance to realize the tremendous 
impressiveness of a devotional service conducted in 
this manner, on the occasion of the great annual 
festivals, when, literally, millions of people came up 
to Jerusalem to participate in the worship of God. 

The Hymn-book used on such occasions was the 
Psalter. It is in five parts, compiled at different pe- 
riods and bound together probably in Ezra's time. 
It contains a hundred and fifty sacred songs. Some 
of them are arranged in groups; as the Songs of De- 
grees, which were used by pilgrims journeying to 
the feasts; the Hallelujah Psalms, beginning with 
"Praise ye the Lord"; the Alphabetic Psalms, ar- 
ranged in the order of the alphabet, that the children 

(51) 



52 SELAH. 

might the more easily commit them to memory. We 
learn from certain prefatory words that one-third 
of the entire collection was dedicated "To the chief 
musician" ; the term " Nehiloth " means that the song 
was to be accompanied with wind instruments, and 
" Neginoth " by stringed instruments. " Higgaion " 
directs that it should be sung as a recitative; "Ala- 
moth " by treble voices ; ' * Sheminith " as a bass solo ; 
" Mahalath " denotes a soft accompaniment upon the 
lute; and "Ma'aloth," in the Psalms of Degrees, 
directs that they should be sung as the procession 
mounted the temple steps. The titles of some of the 
favorite Psalms are also significant; as "The Golden 
Song " ; " The Hind of the Mountain " ; "The Lilies," 
and " The Dove Silent among Strangers." We are 
thus led to believe that the Psalter occupied a large 
and wealthy place in the Jewish heart. 

In this Hymn-book we frequently come upon the 
word, "Selah. " It occurs seventy-one times in the 
Psalms and thrice in the prophecy of Habakkuk. 
There is a wide difference of opinion as to its precise 
significance; but authorities are generally agreed 
that it was a musical term. In the Septuagint it is 
regarded as giving the key-note. The weight of 
scholarly opinion marks it as an intimation to the 
orchestra; a call for the blast of trumpets and the 
response of the stringed instruments, as if to say, 
" Here let all unite in making a joyful noise unto the 
Lord!" 

Is there a lesson in " Selah " for us ? It is written, 
"All Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 
for correction, for instruction in righteousness." We 
may believe, therefore, that this oft-recurring word 



SELAH. 53 

is not without significance. Here is its meaning for 
us : — Set your life to music ! 

We are too dull, cold, stupid in our devotion. We 
are too numb, formal and passionless. Let us draw- 
near to the altar with an outburst of melody. 

" Dear Lord, and shall we ever live 
At this poor dying rate ; 
Our love so faint, so cold, to thee, 
And thine to us so great?'' 

"Aye, it is easy enough to say, ' Up with your heart 
and your voices; let the trumpets blare and the harps 
make a joyous sound ! ' But circumstances alter 
cases. Some of us are too busy with matters of 
serious moment, and others have all the music crushed 
out of them by the burdens of life." But an exami- 
nation of the Selahs shows that they cover all possible 
experiences. Pain and pleasure, midday and mid- 
night, doubt and sorrow and the death shadow, all 
give place to the orchestral melody. The religion of 
the Bible is, under all circumstances, the religion of 
praise. 

The time for harp and psaltery to be silent, if ever, 
is in the dark experience of conviction of sin. But hear 
what the psalmist says, " My bones wax old through 
my roaring all the day long; thy hand was heavy up- 
on me. Selah!" Why? He proceeds, "I acknowl- 
edged my sin and thou forgavest it. Selah! " And 
again, " Thou art my hiding place ; thou shalt com- 
pass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah ! " 

The night of contrition is illuminated by many 
stars of promise. The man who feels his burden has 
reason to rejoice because the arm of the Almighty is 
made bare to lift it. The great sacrifice is accom- 



54 SELAH. 

plished and the fountain is opened for sin and for un- 
cleanness. The Son of man has power on earth to 
forgive sins. 

II. The psalmist finds occasion for praise, also, in 
the bitter hour of temptation. There are three Selahs in 
the forty-sixth Psalm: "God is our refuge and 
strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore 
will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and 
the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. 
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is 
our refuge. Selah!" 

A man is at his best, indeed, when he is going 
out against the adversary. We wrestle not against 
flesh and blood, but against principalities and 
powers. Now lift the battle-hymn ! What is so 
magnificent in human experience as the conquest of 
an evil habit? What joy is comparable with the 
joy of victory? 

It is said that when Wellington was riding away 
from Waterloo, as he came into the open where the 
bullets were whistling about him, an aide said, " My 
lord, I pray you take heed, for your life is in danger 
here." He replied, "What matters it? We have 
won the victory! Life is of little consequence, now 
that the enemy flies." 

Do you know, my friend, the delight of returning 
from moral conflict laden with spoils ? If so, these 
words are not meaningless : "Count it all joy when 
ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that 
the trying of your faith worketh patience. Blessed 
is the man that endureth temptation, for when 
he is tried he shall receive the crown of life which 
the Lord hath promised to them that love him." 



SELAH. 55 

III. And again, David was moved to exultant praise 
in his earnest quest of truth. He knew his own igno- 
rance, but he was no melancholy agnostic. He looked 
toward the heavens and saw them so vast and himself 
so little, that he wondered how the Lord could be 
mindful of him. Yet he rejoiced in what he knew 
and sang praises in the hope of knowing more. So 
it was Galileo's delight to watch the stars and count 
them with the naked eye; but the supreme moment 
of his life was reached when, with the aid of a lens, 
he discerned the mountains in the moon and Saturn's 
rings. There are moments in life when a new truth 
comes to us like a sunburst, and the harps and trum- 
pets must help us lift the hymn. 

In the village school at Stratford-on-Avon the form 
is shown whereon the lad Shakespeare sat when he 
conned his A, B, C. Let him not despise the day of 
small things, for the time will come when out of 
these rudiments he will splendidly enrich the world's 
literature. The soliloquy of Hamlet and all other 
productions of the great master are mere combinations 
of the alphabet with a glowing, exultant soul behind 
them. Let us not lament our intellectual shortcom- 
ings, since the little that we know is material 
for indefinite education, and all eternity is before 
us. 

IV. So, also, in the psalmisfs work for God; he 
had need for choir and orchestra to assist him in the 
joyous discharge of every duty. If he were watching 
his flocks on the hill sides at Bethlehem, or minister- 
ing at the altar in Jerusalem, or gathering material 
for the building of the temple, or marching forth 
against Canaanitish tribes he must still pause and cry, 



$6 SELAH. 

" Selah !" as later the Covenanters marched and fought 
for freedom with the shout, " For Christ's Crown and 
Covenant!" 

We have not enough of joyousness in our Chris- 
tian work. We speak too much of duty and obliga- 
tion, and think too little of the honor that is put upon 
us in being permitted to join hands, in the glorious 
work of the kingdom, with the only-begotten Son of 
God. 

It is related of George Story of blessed memory, 
that, in the midst of a life devoted to sensual pleas- 
ure, he went up to the Doncaster races. He stood 
looking idly on while the balls flew up and down, and 
the horses, in clouds of dust, went speeding around the 
track, hearing the shouts from the betting stands and 
the acclamations of the multitude; then, as he closed 
his eyes for a moment, he heard a voice: " Is this, 
George Story, a proper life for a man made in the image 
of the eternal God? Is there nothing better for thee? 
Lo, here is a sickle at thy hand ; go, thrust it in and 
reap for me." And there was born within him in 
that moment a great purpose, which by God's grace 
he was enabled to realize in a life of noble power and 
usefulness. All the pleasures of the past vanished 
like the lifting of mists before the rising sun. His 
years were passed in toil that was full of laughter 
and merrymaking; his supreme joy was to feel an 
utter weariness of a well-spent day. 

V. In affliction. Over and over again the psalmist 
cries, " Selah! " when life's burdens are heavy upon 
him. Thus in his flight from Absalom, "Many 
there be that say unto me, 'Where is thy God?' Se- 
lah!" 



SELAH. 57 

At this point there is no difference. We are 
born to sorrow as the sparks fly upward. Pain, neg- 
lect, calumny, poverty, bereavement, persecution; 
these are in greater or less measure the portion of 
all. The only question is, How shall we bear them? 
Shall we sink down in discouragement and surrender 
to despair ? Or, shall we praise God that our light 
afflictions, which are but for a moment, are working 
for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
glory? 

The only sacred writer, apart from the psalmist, who 
uses the term Selah is the prophet Habakkuk. And 
this is singular, for he lived in the reign of Manasseh, 
the darkest period of Jewish history. He was con- 
temporary with Jeremiah the wailing prophet, who 
wished that his head were waters and his eyes a foun- 
tain of tears that he might weep day and night for 
the slain of his people. But the song of Habakkuk 
was pitched in a higher key. He also dwelt among 
the ruins that were left from the invasion of Nebu- 
chadnezzar; he saw the desolation, but he saw also 
the bright light in the cloud. He believed in a 
good time coming. He foretold the ultimate destruc- 
tion of Chaldaea. He closed his brief prophecy with 
a transporting song of exultation which he dedicated 
"To the chief singer on stringed instruments," to be 
sung on- great occasions in the temple service : 

"God came from Teman, 
And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah! 
His glory covered the heavens, 
And the earth was full of his praise. 
And his brightness was as the light; 
He had rays coming forth from his hand. 



58 SELAH. 

And there was the hiding of his power. 
He stood and measured the earth; 
And the eternal mountains were scattered, 
The everlasting hills did bow." 

Thus looking far into the future, he perceived the 
Almighty coming to the relief of those who trusted 
in him. And with all his heart he believed in the bet- 
ter day. Here are his last words : 

" Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, 
Neither shall fruit be in the vines; 
The labor of the olive shall fail, 
And the fields shall yield no meat; 
The flock shall be cut off from the fold, 
And there shall be no herd in the stalls: 
Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, 
I will joy in the God of my salvation." 

So we should set even our bitterest sorrows to mu- 
sic; for He giveth songs in the night. Our tribula- 
tion worketh hope and hope maketh not ashamed. 
The nightingale is said to sing most sweetly when a 
thorn presses against her breast. So may the Chris- 
tian in adversity rejoice because of his great faith in 
God. Up with your hearts and voices, all ye that 
labor and are heavy laden! "I reckon that the suf- 
ferings of this present time are not worthy to be com- 
pared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." 

VI. And the rejoicing of David was with him to 
the very end. A quaint father says, "God leaves the 
sugar ever in the bottom of our cup." One of the 
Psalms seems to have been composed for the special 
strength and comfort of those who approach the eter- 
nal world. "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not 
want. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 



SELAH. 59 

shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with 
me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Let 
the orchestra play softly now. Pianissimo! A soul 
is going to its God. 

"While I draw this fleeting breath, 
When mine eyelids close in death, — " 

now, Selah ! Let harps and trumpets strike a 
higher note, for the sorrows of earth are vanishing 
and the lights of heaven grow bright; 

"When T soar to worlds unknown, 
And behold Thee on Thy throne; 
Rock of Ages cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in Thee." 

And then the endless glory. The winter is past, 
the rain is over and gone. Here is the great multi- 
tude upon the glassy sea with harps of gold. Here 
are the angels and archangels lifting the song, ' ' Holy 
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!" Shall we take 
part in the great rejoicing there? Let us then attune 
our hearts and voices to the thanksgivings of the 
earthly life. Set your life to music. Your grief for 
sin, your battle-pains, your eager search for truth, 
your sowing and reaping, your heartaches, your 
death-anguish ; set them all to music, for in heaven 
we shall see how all these, by divine grace, were made 
to work together for our good. 

"I'll praise my Maker with my breath, 
And when my voice is lost in death 

Praise shall employ my nobler powers; 
My days of praise shall ne'er be past, 
While life and thought and being last, 

Or immortality endures." 



ONE CHURCH. 



That thev all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that 
they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent 
me." — John 17, 21. 



The last interview of Jesus with his disciples in the 
upper room is invested with a peculiar solemnity. On 
that occasion he seemed to take them, more deeply 
than ever, into his confidence. He gave them a clear 
glimpse into heaven in the words, "In my Father's 
house are many mansions: if it were not so I would 
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." He 
led them into the secret place of his pavilion in those 
parabolic words, " I am the vine, ye are the branches. 
Abide in me, and I in you." He brought them into 
the very innermost of spiritual mysteries when he 
gathered them about the sacramental table and insti- 
tuted the memorial feast; for here is the key to that 
saying, " Except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood 
of the Son of Man, ye have no life in you, " And then 
the sacerdotal prayer. There was never a prayer like 
this; and here is its refrain, "That they all may be 
one." 

He was standing under the shadow of the cross 
tvhen he made that prayer. He saw in the future a 
bereaved and lonely company ; a flock without a shep- 

(60) 



ONE CHURCH. 6l 

herd, needing the support of mutual prayer and sym- 
pathy. He looked further and saw them bowing 
under the ax, torn by lions, bound to the stake, or 
fleeing to find shelter in dens and caves of the earth; 
and he knew that in those dreadful days they would 
need the courage of fellowship. Looking still further 
down the centuries, he saw them engaged in bitter 
controversies, wrangling in councils, parting asunder, 
marching against each other on embattled fields, and 
he saw the world looking on with a glad amazement 
and crying, "Aha ! Aha ! " Thus for his own glory, 
as for the welfare of his followers, he prayed, " O my 
Father, grant that they all may be one, that the world 
may know that thou hast sent me." 

One thing is certain ; it was the wish of the Mas- 
ter that his Church, the world over and through all 
the centuries, should be a congenial and harmonious 
fellowship. This is suggested in his words, "And 
there shall be one flock and one shepherd." It is set 
forth also under the figure of a happy household ; as 
when Paul says, "I bow my knees unto the Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole family 
in heaven and earth is named." The relation of be- 
lievers to each other is elsewhere likened to a living 
organism of which Jesus is the head: "So we, being 
many, are one body in Christ, and every one members 
one of another; " and again, that we " may grow up 
into him in all things which is the head, even Christ, 
from whom the whole body fitly joined together and 
compacted by that which every joint supplieth, ac- 
cording to the effectual working in the measure of 
every part, maketh increase of the body unto the ed- 
ifying of itself in love." 



62 ONE CHURCH. 

All true followers of Christ believe in Church Union. 
They certify to that fact in the historic confession, "I 
believe in the Holy Catholic Church, " which is accord- 
ing to the same creed ''the communion of saints." 
But a great deal that is said of Church Union is mere 
vapouring, inane and profitless. Let us reason to- 
gether as to this matter and, if possible, arrive at a 
sensible view of it. 

It is claimed that the Church is a divine ordinance. 
All God's works are characterized and controlled by 
fixed laws. If the Church is a divine work, it must 
conform to them. What are these laws ? 

I. Unity. Here is one of the mighty ordinances of 
the universe. It is observed in every department of 
the divine handiwork. 

Let us begin at the bottom ; that is, in the king- 
dom of inanimate matter. Here the unifying prin- 
ciple is the Law of Form. A grain of sand, a snowflake, 
a diamond, a mountain of granite are all alike under 
the domination of this law. 

A step higher and we find ourselves in the vegeta- 
ble kingdom. Here the unifying principle is Life. 
It is a great mystery. The biologist, whose name in- 
dicates a special acquaintance with living creatures, 
cannot even define it. He tears asunder a living 
thing in pursuit of the life principle; but it ever 
evades him. He can neither produce nor define it. 
Nevertheless in this kingdom it is the all-pervading 
fact. A grain of wheat, a rose-bud, a lofty pine are 
all brought into kinship and dominated by it. 

A step higher and we enter the animal kingdom. 
We are here in the presence of a new principle, to- 
wit, Instinct. It is somewhat more than life and 



ONE CHURCH. 63 

somewhat less than reason. All things within the 
boundaries of this realm are by it enabled to sustain 
themselves and secure their well-being. The sea- 
anemone, the nightingale, the Gordon setter are alike, 
though not equally, endowed with it. 

The next and final step brings us into the presence 
of man. The kingdom here is the kingdom of God. 
The unifying principle is Sprit The race is bound 
together by it. This is more than life, than instinct, 
than reason. It is a filial bond by which humanity is 
brought into communion with God. A man can pray. 
He can reason with his brother or his Father as to 
great verities. He exercises a sovereign will in moral 
acts. He is always conscious of a divine birth, of a 
fall from his high estate, of a possible reconciliation 
with God. In this he is infinitely removed from all 
the lower orders of life. It is as if sun, moon and 
stars bowed down before him. He alone is a being 
of two worlds: he is in this world yet not altogether 
of it; a pilgrim and a sojourner, looking for a better 
country, even an heavenly, and for a city which hath 
foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 

II. Diversity in unity. We shall not find uniformity. 
This is contrary to the analogy of the divine work. 
The orbs of heaven are unified by a common law, 
all circulating about a single centre; yet divided into 
systems, each having its own centre and every orb its 
own orbit. And there is one glory of the sun, and 
another glory of the moon, and another glory of the 
stars. 

So, if we begin again at the bottom of terrestrial 
things, we shall discover this diversity. No two 
snowflakes are identical in form ; all are fabricated in 



64 ONE CHURCH. 

the same loom; yet, if it were possible to gather all 
that shall fall in the storms of the coming winter, we 
should not find two of them precisely alike. The 
same is true in the higher kingdom of vegetable 
life. The leaves of the forest give token of a com- 
mon law, yet no two in Vallombrosa are indistinguish- 
able from each other. So on the butterfly's wing you 
will always find the marvelous fleck of color, yet 
there is an illimitable diversity. The same is true of 
men. We speak of "the human family " and thus 
show our belief in the unifying force, but the diver- 
sity is equally plain, for there are no precise dupli- 
cates among us. 

This is a distinguishing characteristic of the divine 
work. Man aims at uniformity; God at diversity in 
unity. A manufacturer of cotton prints makes ten 
thousand dress patterns all alike; but see how God 
clothes the forest in this autumn time, — with what 
diversity of tapestry, what garlands and festoons of 
ever-varying leaf and vine. No matter where you 
find Turner's sunsets, you can recognize them; he 
mixes the same colors and with the same brush lays 
them on canvas. Now turn your eyes westward at 
the close of day and see God's sunsets! These are 
not the colors that you saw last night; here is a pat- 
tern that was never seen before. The masterpiece of 
the sculptor Powers was his Greek Slave; he made 
three copies or replicas, and, lo! they are facsimiles, 
line for line and curve for curve. God makes sixteen 
hundred millions of human beings to occupy the 
earth to-day and no two of them have faces just alike. 
Nevertheless, the life, the reason, the spiritual fac- 
ulty, the unifying principle is in all. They think, but 



ONE CHURCH. 65 

they do not think the same thoughts. They feel, but 
they do not have the same emotions. They reason, 
but they do not reason to the same conclusions. So 
everywhere there is diversity in unity. 

III. " Natural Selection;" that is, segregation. All 
things in God's universe get together in coteries ; 
they group themselves by sympathetic attraction. 

This holds even at the bottom. Gold is found in 
veins, in pockets and in placers; it flocks by itself, 
seeks its own. In like manner trees and plants are in- 
digenous to one clime or to another ; they adjust them- 
selves to their environment like families. In the 
animal kingdom we observe the separation of the 
denizens of air and earth and water; each group finds 
its own habitat; the menhaden go in schools, the 
waterfowl in flocks, the beasts of the forest in herds. 

In pursuance of this law we should expect to find 
men falling into companies, nor are we disappointed. 
Here are Shem, Ham and Japheth going forth from 
Ararat to pursue their several ways. We may easily 
mark the divergent lines of their development. They 
form the three races of men ; the three races which are 
distinguishable the whole world over. And each of 
these races in turn is divided into nations ; nations that 
separate from each other, take up their several abodes 
and assume their distinct place in history. In the 
natural course of events each of these nations is sub- 
divided into communities, and within any of these 
communities are found the various levels of society. 
Caste, however we may deplore it, is not peculiar to 
India. It is the inevitable result of the law of segre- 
gation, each seeking its kind. Coteries are formed 
by the attraction of mutual taste and temperaments. 



66 ONE CHURCH. 

Here is the "Submerged Tenth" and here is the 
"Upper Ten-thousand"; and those who are in the 
one would not be in the other. Here are political 
parties, also divided along the line of normal cleav- 
age. Here are labor-guilds on the one hand and 
monopolistic trusts on the other. Here are secret 
societies of such a character as that those who are in 
would not be out, and those who are out would not 
be in. Here are clubs and the militia and associa- 
tions of innumerable sorts, implying no necessary 
antagonism, but merely the coherence of sympathetic 
minds. This is natural selection. It may be regu- 
lated by considerations of justice and human rights; 
but to undertake to destroy it would be to do violence 
to the natural order of things. 

IV. Now as to the application of these consider- 
ations to the problem of Church Union. 

i. As to the law of Unity. The Church is bound 
together by one vital and formative fact; that is, a 
common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what 
we mean when we say, " I believe in the Holy Cath- 
olic Church, the Communion of Saints." It is made 
up of all, everywhere and throughout all ages, who 
are sincerely enlisted under the banner of the cross. 
This is the unifying principle; no diversity of names 
or minor considerations can disturb it. "Ye are 
builded together upon the foundation of the apostles 
and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief 
corner stone." And "Other foundation can no man 
lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 

2. The law of Diversity is as obvious among the 
great multitude of Christian believers as it is every- 
where else in the universe of God. The eleven men 



ONE CHURCH. 67 

who went out of the upper chamber to become the 
nucleus of the Holy Catholic Church were as unlike 
as possible; John the mystic, Peter the zealot, 
Thomas the doubter and the others went their several 
ways. It was not long before they were multiplied 
into thousands, but each of these thousands was an 
independent thinker, having Christ at the centre of 
his heart but holding his own standpoint for the mak- 
ing of his creed. 

There are now some hundreds of millions of 
Christians on earth; all are one in Christ, avowing 
their fellowship in the words, "One Lord, one 
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all." 
Yet these believers are at all points — the sole ex- 
ception being the unifying principle of a common 
faith in Christ — diverse one from another. They do 
their own thinking in their own way ; make their 
prayers according to their individual convictions; 
live in pursuance of the dictates of personal con- 
science; being as dissimilar in moral constitution as 
in feature. "They are distinct," we say, " as the 
billows, yet one as the sea." The sea rolls to and 
fro in perpetual restlessness, surging in foaming 
masses upon the shores of all islands and continents, 
into bays and deltas and estuaries everywhere, yet 
there is a power that holds it ever as one. The moon 
reaches down her white arms out of heaven and 
twice each day lifts and rolls this mighty, surging 
flood in the unresting movements of the tides. So 
does Christ pervade and dominate and sway the uni- 
versal church. O glorious faith! O infinite power 
of the gracious Christ! In the sublimity of our 
human nature we are free to differ, but in the sym- 



68 ONE CHURCH. 

pathy of an all-pervading faith we are one in Him I 
3. Then as to Natural Selection. The segregation 
of believers was inevitable from the beginning. It 
was only a question of time when the church should 
divide into Greek and Roman. Do we say it was a 
frivolous thing to part asunder on the phrase Filio- 
que ? There may be room for a difference of opinion 
there, but the ground of separation lay further back ; 
that is. in the difference of the Greek and the Roman 
temperament. And again, it was only a question of 
time when Protestantism should come forth out of 
the Roman fellowship. And for this again there was 
a reason : the birth of Protestantism was an expres- 
sion of the renaissance of religious liberty. 

It was furthermore inevitable that Protestantism 
should itself, in the course of time, be divided into 
denominations. Some men are so constituted that 
they cannot frame a system of belief without be- 
ginning at the sovereignty of God; these are 
Calvinists. And to complain against their segre- 
gation is to find fault with nature itself. There are 
others who in looking at doctrine, take their stand- 
point at the freedom of the human will; these are 
Arminians. Let them flock by themselves. There 
are some who are so constructed as to love the pomp 
and circumstance of a liturgical service. We may 
not be able to sympathize with these; but let us not 
object to their fraternization because we are not 
formed that way. This segregation indeed is as it 
should be. While human nature is as it is, it is diffi- 
cult to conceive of any other order of things; it is 
simply the carrying out of certain laws which are 
interwoven in the constitution of the race. It is use- 



ONE CHURCH. 69 

less to oppose it. A oneness brought about by me- 
chanical pressure must be artificial at the best and 
merely superficial. An illustration may be found in 
the worst periods of papal history, where we see 
either spiritual deadness on the one hand, or on the 
other hand repressed, seething discontent like inner 
fires seeking vent at every joint and fissure. It is 
impossible to contend against the natural order of 
things. 

Now as to practical considerations. What are our 
duties as individual Christians in these premises ? Or, 
what can we do to aid and further the fulfilment of 
our Lord's prayer that his disciples the world over 
may be one ? 

First : We may cease clamoring for uniformity. There 
is nothing in this cry. The thing is impossible of 
accomplishment and undesirable any way. The most 
teasing, irritating, trouble-fomenting people are those 
who, in the interest of what they call Church Union, 
are ever and anon rising to say, " There is dissension ; 
and, brethren, you are all wrong; and you will never 
be right until you take down your neighborly fences 
and cease from differences of opinion in the fellow- 
ship of Christ." The influence of such people is 
wholly divisive and disintegrating. The trouble is 
all in their mind's eye. The differences of opinion 
are natural and inevitable. The divisions are such 
as grow out of the constitution of the race and the 
order of things. 

Second : Let us cease claiming for our own denomina- 
tion any exclusive title to the franchise of the Church of 
God. There is room here for an application of the 
axiom, "The whole is larger than any of its parts." 



70 ONE CHURCH. 

He may be a true Christian at heart, but is a narrow- 
minded bigot, who joins in the cry of any coterie of 
believers, " The temple of the Lord are we." For is 
it not written, "The body is not one member, but 
many. And if they were all one member, where were 
the body?" And again, "There are diversities of 
operations, but it is the same God which worketh all 
in all." To claim the divine blessing and exclusive 
ecclesiastical function for my limited circle, is to put 
on airs which the Lord rebukes, the church con- 
temns, and the world laughs at. This is the leaven of 
the scribes and Pharisees; and "except your right- 
eousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and 
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom 
of heaven." 

Third: Let us enlarge our hearts in a magnanimous 
charity toward all who love our Lord Jesus Christ. ' i The 
real cure for disunion," says Joseph Parker, "is not 
in the abolition of sects, but in the abolition of sec- 
tarianism." Let us believe in the sincerity of those 
who, calling themselves after the name of our Mas- 
ter, differ from us in minor things. Pray for all who 
are of the household of faith. Pray for Greeks, Ro- 
manists and Protestants. Pray for the sister denomi- 
nations. Men do not quarrel when on their knees. 
We are brethren, and the injunction which the patri- 
arch gave to his sons departing for Egypt, is wise 
counsel for us : " See that ye fall not out by the way. " 

And finally: Let us emphasize our common faith in 
Christ. Back to Christ! My friend, trundle your 
own opinions out of the way at the approach of his 
chariot. Let us make much of his life, much of his 
glorious teachings, much of his redemptive work on 



ONE CHURCH. 7 I 

Calvary, much of his resurrection from the dead, much 
of his intercession at the throne of heavenly grace, 
much of his great commission. The Church can well 
afford to differ in all things else whatsoever, if only 
it will agree to advance in all its multitudinous divi- 
sions as one great army to the conquest of the world 
for him. " Go ye into all the world and evangelize." 
Oh, for the day when we shall all be too busy, too 
joyously busy in fulfilling that great commission, to 
carp and criticise and make arrogant claims! The 
world awaits the awaking of the Church. 

On the night before the battle of Trafalgar, the 
admiral, Lord Nelson, summoned his lieutenants 
Collingwood and Rotherham, between whom there 
was a quarrel of long standing. From the deck of 
the flag-ship he pointed out the enemy's fleet. "To- 
morrow," he said, "I and you must go out to meet 
them. Shake hands for England's sake. Shake 
hands and make up! " The world awaits the united 
onward movement of the Church for evangelization, 
A hundred years of foreign missions have passed, and 
Armageddon draws near. The Prince upon his white 
horse, with his white battalions, on the borders of the 
heavens, rides this way. The trumpet sounds the 
reveille to Greek and Romanist and Protestant, — to 
all bodies of believers whatsoever, to arise and go 
forth in the Master's name. All other considerations 
dwindle into nothing now. Shake hands and make 
up, for the Master's sake! is the word. Go ye, go 
ye unto the uttermost parts of the earth. Go ye 
forth as one great mobilized army. Go ye out under 
the banner of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. "All 
power is given unto me in heaven and on earth; go 



72 ONE CHURCH. 

ye, therefore, and preach the gospel; and, lo, I am 
with you alway, even unto the end of the world." 
To hear his voice, and with one impulse rise and 
obey, will be to accomplish a glorious fulfilment of 
his prayer "that they all may be one, that the 
world may know, O Father, that thou hast sent me, 
and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me." 



THE LOGIA. 

"We ought to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said — ." — Acts 

20, 35- 

The thinking world is just now criticising and dis- 
cussing an old papyrus scroll known as the " Logia," 
or "Sayings of Jesus." It was found last winter 
with a multitude of other ancient manuscripts, of 
more or less value, in the ruins of Oxyrhynchus in 
lower Egypt. It is a mere fragment consisting of 
seven disconnected sentences, as follows: 

" 1. and see how to draw out the mote that is in 

thy brother's eye. 

"2. Jesus saith, If ye do not fast toward the world, ye 
will not find the kingdom of God; and if ye do not celebrate 
the Sabbath aright, ye will not see the Father. 

"3. Jesus saith, I entered into the midst of the world, 
and in the flesh I appeared unto them ; and I found them 
all drunken, a?id none did I find thirsty among them ; and 
my soul labor eth for the children of 7nen, for they are blind 
in their hearts and they do not see their poverty. 

' ' 4. Jesus saith, Wherever they may be, there they are 
not without God j and just as one is alone, thus I am with 
him. Lift the stone and there thou will find me; cleave the 
wood, and I am there. 

"5. Jesus saith, A prophet is not welcome in his own 
city, nor does a physician effect cures among those who know 
him. 

(73) 



74 



THE LOGIA. 



"6. Jesus saith, A city that is built and established on 
the top of a high hill can neither fall nor be hidden. 

"7. Jesus saith, Hear this " 

As to the genuineness of these " Sayings of Jesus " 
there may be a wide difference of opinion, but it will 
be generally agreed that they contribute little if any- 
thing to our possession of spiritual truth. The first, 
third, fifth and sixth of these sentences are mere 
repetitions of Scripture. The second is ascetic, the 
fourth is mystical and the seventh is valueless, being 
abruptly broken off. The general verdict upon the 
Logia is, that what is true in them is not new, and 
what is new is not true. 

The question naturally arises, How are these and 
similar pseudo-Scriptures to be accounted for ? Our 
Lord during his ministry was universally regarded 
as an extraordinary teacher of great spiritual truths. 
He laid a fearless hand on problems which affrighted 
and bewildered the accredited theologians of his 
time. He taught "as one having authority, and not 
as the scribes." His name and doctrine were dis- 
cussed in all quarters. The common people heard 
him gladly. The rulers hated and conspired against 
him. In one judgment all were agreed: "Never 
man spake like this man. " His death, instead of sup- 
pressing the general interest, increased it. The air, 
in the early flush of the Christian Era, was full of 
rumors concerning him. There were legends and tra- 
ditions innumerable passing from mouth to mouth. 
It was clear that if posterity was to have the full ben- 
efit of his wonderful teachings, there must be a rigid 
sifting and an authoritative canon. 

To this end ' ; holy men " were divinely appointed 



THE LOGIA. 75 

to prepare the New Testament. These men were 
chosen from among the disciples; it being pre-requi- 
site that they should have been eye-witnesses of the 
ministry of Jesus. They wrote "as they were moved 
by the Holy Ghost." No doubt they made use of 
current manuscripts; but whether as authors, "red- 
actors," or immediate recipients of revelation, they 
wrought under the direct control and supervision of 
the Spirit. When they had finished the volume, it 
was sealed with a seal of divine authority and the 
word "Finis" closed it. 

But very many legends and untrustworthy tradi- 
tions were left over; many of these have survived to 
this day. It would be strange were it otherwise. 
There are more than fifty apocryphal gospels. One 
of our local newspapers recently printed what pur- 
ported to be the "Report of Pontius Pilate to the 
Roman Emperor respecting the Trial, Conviction and 
Execution of Jesus of Nazareth." This is simply one 
of the immense multitude of extra-canonical and fre- 
quently spurious traditions. The fragment now 
under consideration is another. The temple of the 
New Testament canon was built by inspired writers 
and finished to the laying of the top stone of the 
corner. All within that temple is divine; all with- 
out that temple may be of archaeological interest, but 
the divine seal is not upon it. 

But why this general and consuming interest with 
respect to a mere fragment of papyrus — a tattered 
leaf, tantalizingly short, and containing nothing new 
or of surpassing value ? Why should the world of 
scholars and thinking people be so exercised about 
it ? The incident has an important bearing on the 



76 



THE LOGIA. 



two vital problems of to-day, to wit: The Bible as the 
Written, and Christ as the Incarnate Word of God. 

i. Its bearing on the Biblical Controversy. This is 
preeminently the controversy of our time. For years 
we have been witnessing a most insidious and per- 
sistent assault on the trustworthiness of Holy Writ. 
It was inevitable that, amid the furious winds of such 
a tempest, there should be in many quarters a loss of 
confidence in the truth of Scripture. " Continual 
dropping wears away a stone." A man who had list- 
ened for years, even with the most unbiased mind, 
to persistent and malignant scandals uttered against 
the integrity of his own mother, could scarcely enter 
her presence without looking askance at her. We 
welcome, therefore, whatever shall restore our im- 
paired confidence in the authenticity and absolute 
veracity of the Word. 

The Evangelist John closes his gospel with these 
singular words: "And there are also many other 
things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be 
written every one, I suppose that even the world 
itself could not contain the books which should be 
written." This is generally regarded as an hyper- 
bole ; an oriental way of saying, Of all teachers, he 
was the greatest, and of all teaching his was the most 
prolific and universal. But there is a sense in which 
the statement of the evangelist may be regarded as 
literally true. There is indeed an element of infini- 
tude in the doctrine of Jesus. His lifetime is from 
everlasting to everlasting, and wisdom has eternally 
dropped from his lips, as light emanates from the sun. 
It is but an infinitesimal part of this wisdom which is 
contained in Holy Writ. The Scriptures are not in- 



THE LOGIA. 77 

tended to be an encyclopedia, but a compendium of 
truth for the uses of human life. There are many- 
truths outside, there are many Logia which may in- 
deed be veritable echoes of Jesus' voice , but the temple 
is finished, and it affords no room for the rejected 
debris which lies around it. Here is the important 
matter: The Book is sufficient ; and, because sufficient, 
it is complete and closed forever. 

i. It is sufficietit for salvation. The red thoroughfare 
of blood runs all through its inspired pages. The 
way from sin to pardon is clearly marked out. This 
is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sin- 
ners. " The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from 
all sin;" and, ''without the shedding of blood 
there is no remission " for sin. " He that believeth 
on the Son hath everlasting life;" and, "There is 
none other name under heaven given among men 
whereby we must be saved." Here is enough. 
What more shall be added ? 

We are told of a sinful man who, having gone to 
his own place to endure the pains of everlasting 
shame and remorse, entreated that a drop of water 
might be brought to cool his parched lips. It was 
refused, because whatsoever a man soweth that shall 
he also reap, and in the place where the tree falleth 
there it shall be. He then asked that a messenger 
might be sent from heaven, to admonish his five 
brethren who were still on earth, lest they should 
come into the same condemnation. This also was 
refused in the words, "If they believe not Moses 
and the prophets" — that is the Scriptures — "neither 
would they believe though one rose from the dead.' 



78 THE LOGIA. 

That is to say, the Scriptures are clear, complete and 
sufficient as to the plan of salvation. No Logia can 
add to their force. If, despite their plain warnings 
and invitations, men are still determined to run upon 
the bosses of God's shield, they could not be pre- 
vented even though a troop of angels were to come 
with new Sayings of Jesus to entice them. 

2. The Scriptures as ice have them are sufficietit for the 
building of character. The proof is in their influence 
on men and nations. A Christian is defined to be 
'"the best type of man." And the best type of na- 
tion is the one that finds its constitution in the Scrip- 
tures. Were you a shipwrecked mariner and asked 
to determine whether you would drift upon the mer- 
cies of a Moslem, Buddhist or Christian community, 
you would not take a moment to decide. God's 
Book makes men. It is a chart whereon the course 
of right conduct is clearly marked. Seafaring men 
make frequent visits to our marine office to report 
new reefs or derelicts. But in the Scriptures every 
hidden rock and every floating hulk are indicated. 
It is impossible to suggest any valuable addendum to 
its ethical code. It touches every point in the cir- 
cumference of human life. 

3. The Scriptures furnish an entire equipment for every 
good work. Everything here is needful; nothing is 
superfluous. "All Scripture is profitable for doc- 
trine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in 
righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto every good work." 

To the minds of thoughtful people such considera- 
tions as these must serve to deepen confidence in the 
old-fashioned Book. To say that we love our Bibles 



THE LOGIA. 79 

is not enough. We may love them and still regard 
them with misgivings. It was a sorrowful day for 
Nero when he lost confidence in his tutor, Seneca. 
He had learned in his boyhood to love the old phi- 
losopher and for a time he dutifully followed his 
teachings. His love did not falter; he brought his 
teacher back from exile and clothed him with honor 
at the imperial court. But there were those among 
his associates who laughed at Seneca's melancholy 
face and pointed their fingers at his scholar's robe. 
Nero still for many a long year cherished the old man 
as his friend, and gave him a place at his own table, 
but no longer heeded his instructions. It is to be 
feared that some regard their Bibles in the same way. 
They love them still, but the air has been so full 
of adverse criticism, that there has been a waning 
of confidence. Nevertheless the Book remains as 
ever, an infallible rule of faith and practice, sufficient 
and complete for all human uses. "The heavens 
being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements 
shall melt with fervent heat," but " The word of our 
God shall stand forever;" "the mouth of the Lord 
hath spoken it." 

II. Let us now consider the bearing of the Logia on the 
problem of Christ. He was an incomparable teacher. 
"The words that I speak unto you," he said, "they 
are spirit and they are life." And again, "Heaven 
and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not 
pass away." 

Why this general interest in the finding of new 
sayings of Jesus, a few inconsequential words that 
have escaped the rasure of time and fluttered down 
to us ? Not critics only nor antiquarians, but the 



80 THE LCGIA. 

people everywhere, are exercised about them. Not 
long ago a new poem of Milton's was found among 
the old manuscripts of the British Museum. It was 
no trifling event, the discovery of a hitherto unknown 
production by the author of " Paradise Lost." Nev- 
ertheless it was only a nine-days' wonder and many 
of you doubtless have not even heard of it. But the 
mere suggestion that we have come upon an incoher- 
ent echo of the voice of Jesus of Nazareth is a very 
different thing. The world takes note of it. 

Who was this Jesus, this incomparable Teacher ? 
There he stands at the remote distance of nineteen 
hundred years, demanding an answer of every thought- 
ful man. He was no scholar, no philosopher, was 
indeed quite unfamiliar with the teaching of the 
schools. He was a man of the people; a carpenter, 
his hands callous with toil. Ecce Homo ! He rode 
into Jerusalem, those going before and those follow- 
ing after crying, "Hosanna! Hosanna!" and the 
people standing in their doorways asked, as the world 
has been asking ever since, " Who is this ? " 

But Jesus is more than a figure of the remote past. 
He has come down through history, making his mark 
on all the centuries, with an ever-increasing retinue 
of followers to this day. It was in vain that they 
crucified him. The centurion, on the evening of the 
great tragedy, went back to Pilate and reported, 
" He is dead. I stood by with my quaternions after 
he had been nailed upon the cross, and, when the 
three hours of his mortal anguish were over, I caused 
a soldier to thrust a spear into his side and there 
came forth blood and water. My mission is accom- 
plished; the Nazarene is dead." A messenger went 



THE LOGIA. 8 1 

up to the Hall Gazith and made a similar report to 
the Sanhedrin: "I stood with the multitude under 
his cross. I saw the strange noonday darkness 
gather about him, and, when it lifted, I heard him 
cry with a loud voice, ' Tetelestai 7 ' ' It is finished ! ' 
Then as I came away I turned and saw his form dark 
against the sky. The Nazarene is dead; we shall i 
hear no more of him." 

But this was not enough. His words still lived, 
and because of their power it was as if his spectre 
walked the earth. To put an end to his doctrines, 
the sword was unsheathed and the fagots were lit. 
There were bonfires of men; the smell of hissing 
flesh was in the air and martyrs died with the 
Logia on their lips. There were bonfires of Bibles ; 
the air was filled with the smoke of crackling parch- 
ment, but the word was not destroyed. Nee 
tamen consumebatur ! Verily, his words are spirit 
and life. 

The sayings of Jesus have been the most potent 
factor in the history of the Christian Era. Weighty 
words! He uttered the Golden Rule which is, by 
common consent, the great unifying force among 
men and nations. He spoke the parable of the Good 
Samaritan: " A certain man went down from Jerus- 
alem to Jericho and coming upon one who had been 
waylaid and robbed and left for dead, he bound up 
his wounds and cared for him." In this simple story 
lies the solution of all problems of sociology. It is 
the inspiration of all benevolence and kindliness. He 
said, as he gathered his friends around the sacramen- 
tal table, "Do this in remembrance of me", and at 
that word the Church came into being — a great living 



82 THE LOGIA. 

organism through which his Spirit is working with 
ever-growing power for the deliverance of the world 
from sin. He said, "Render unto Caesar the things 
that are Caesar's"; the fundamental maxim of wise 
politics and sound government, which found an echo 
in Paul's sermon on Mars' Hill, later still in Magna 
Charta, and last of all in our Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. All the institutions of civil and ecclesias- 
tical freedom rest upon it. He said, " Go ye into all 
the world and evangelize," and at that word eleven 
men set out to the conquest of the world. Their 
numbers were multiplied, until to-day there are hun- 
dreds of millions living and preaching the Evangel, 
by which they shall presently usher in the Golden 
Age. Aye, his words are spirit and they are life. 

He alone of the great teachers survives. Where 
are Plato, Seneca, Epictetus, Socrates, Sakya-muni ? 
These "built their nests in the temple of fame as 
swallows in the spouts," and the first shower washed 
them away. But a strange interest in the teachings 
of the Nazarene prevails everywhere and increasingly 
among the children of men. "Are the people fools ? " 
as the Sanhedrin said of those that hung upon his 
lips. Is the world all wrong that it should attach 
more importance to a mere questionable fragment of 
his sayings than to the teachings of the sages ? Who 
was this Jesus that all eyes should thus continually 
be turned upon him ? 

But he comes nearer still. The problem is of vital 
personal interest. He stands face to face with you 
and me, asking, "Who say ye that I am?" The 
personal factor will not be eliminated. If the gospel 
is true, our answer to his question must determine 



THE LOGIA. 83 

our eternal destiny. His words, weighty in them- 
selves, are reenforced by his personal presence. 
When Lycurgus had made his memorable Code, he 
disappeared from Sparta, alleging that his presence 
would prevent the due enforcement of his laws. But 
Jesus is ever present with his word. "Lo, I am 
with you alway, even unto the end." To receive his 
sayings is not enough; he asks that he himself may 
be received into our hearts as Prophet, Priest and 
King. The secret of eternal life is not merely to ac- 
cept his doctrine as true, but himself as the veritable 
Word of God. 



EVERYBODY'S PREACHER. 

"And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which pro- 
ceeded out of his mouth." — Luke 4, 22. 

The people of Nazareth had assembled in unusual 
numbers at the synagogue, for it was rumored that 
their townsman Jesus was to preach the sermon of 
the day. He had been making an itinerary among 
the villages of Galilee and the fame of his miracles 
and discourses was spread abroad. The people of 
his native town were most eager to hear him. The 
ruler of the synagogue opened the service with prayer 
and then called on two of the elders to read from the 
sacred scriptures. At this point it was permitted to 
invite any visitor, whose orthodoxy was unchallenged, 
to expound the lesson. This courtesy being extended 
to Jesus, he advanced to the bema. The scroll was 
placed in his hands; he unrolled it and read from the 
sixty-first chapter of Isaiah the lesson of the day: 
1 ' The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath 
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent 
me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the 
captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty 
them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the 
Lord." The eyes of all in the synagogue were now 
fastened upon him. ''This day," said he, "is this 
Scripture fulfilled in your ears." The discourse 
which followed was in demonstration of his own Mes- 

(84) 



everybody's preacher. 85 

siahship. " And all bare him witness, and wondered 
at the gracious words which proceeded out of his 
mouth." 

Let us emphasize this "all", inasmuch as our pur- 
pose is to set forth the adaptation of Christ's teach- 
ing to the needs of all sorts and conditions of men. 

It would be interesting to analyze our Lord's dis- 
courses from a homiletic standpoint. It could easily 
be made to appear that he possessed all the elements 
of true eloquence; such as simplicity, directness, pic- 
turesqueness, logical coherence, warmth, earnestness 
and convincing power. But the quality which made 
him Everybody's Preacher was distinctly and exclu- 
sively his own. In the synagogue that day there were 
priests, rabbis, doctors of divinity, farmers, vine- 
dressers, handicraftsmen; and all alike were spell- 
bound by his gracious words. You have, perhaps, 
seen a portrait wrought by a great master, with eyes 
that had the singular quality of gazing at you wher- 
ever you went. A like characteristic we observe in 
the teaching of Jesus. Coleridge said : * * It finds me. " 
Indeed, it searches for and finds all men. Jesus was 
able to address himself to the wants of the multitude 
all and singular, for " he knew what was in man." 

He had something to say to the poor. And the poor of 
his time were poor indeed. We make a distinction 
between " God's poor" and the "devil's poor." We 
take a sympathetic interest in the relief of such as are 
thrifty and industrious but unfortunate. Our Lord, 
however, had a place in his heart for the ne'er-do- 
weels; for such as are wandering our streets to-night 
thriftless, penniless and friendless. There are women 
whose faces are sodden with drink, drawing thin 



86 everybody's preacher. 

shawls around their shivering shoulders. There are 
men with sunken cheeks and watery eyes, shuffling 
along with hands stretched out for alms. Who cares 
for them? O, it is pitiful; near a whole city full, 
friends they have none. They live forlorn, die un- 
lamented and are buried without ceremony in the 
potter's field. Who cares? He cares! The heart of 
Jesus is warm with pity toward them; his gospel 
makes room for them; he hears their helpless moan, 
their bitter cry. Once when he was asked for his 
Messianic credentials, he replied : "The blind receive 
their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, 
the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have 
the gospel preached to them." God be praised! 
The meanest beggar in the world has one true friend, 
who tells him that it is never too late to mend, that 
the past may be retrieved, that penitence wins par- 
don and that a man who turns from his evil ways, 
though poor as poverty, may be incalculably rich to- 
ward God. 

And Jesus had a message for the rich. The rich in 
those days were very rich, for the wealth of the 
world was concentrated in the hands of a few. But 
our Lord did not denounce them indiscriminately. 
He respected the rights of property. He recognized 
the fact that a man may have abundant possessions 
and yet be righteous. But he was no sycophant. 
When he sat at the tables of the wealthy, his table- 
talk was full of plain truths. He warned them 
against avarice: " It is easier," said he, " for a camel 
to pass through a needle's eye," than for a man whose 
heart is set upon riches to enter the kingdom of 
God. He told them it was better to part with all 



everybody's preacher. 87 

their earthly possessions than to lose life, character, 
and endless happiness: "Go sell all that thou hast 
and give to the poor," he said to one whose wealth 
was his hindrance, "and come, follow me." He 
stated plainly that there were rich men in hell and 
poor men in heaven. He showed how a man might 
be very respectable, clothing himself in purple and 
fine linen and faring sumptuously every day, and 
still be guilty of unconscionable folly. He spake 
this parable unto them: "The ground of a certain 
rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought 
within himself, What shall I do, because I have no 
room where to bestow my fruits ? And he said, 
This will I do: I will pull down my barns and build 
greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my 
goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast 
much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, 
eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, 
Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of 
thee: then whose shall those things be? So is he 
that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich 
toward God." 

He had much to say to workingmen. He was himself 
a member of the Third Estate. He knew what it was 
to shove the plane and drive the saw, to grow weary 
and wipe the perspiration from his brow. One word 
of his, "The laborer is worthy of his hire," has in it 
the possible solution of all controversies between 
capital and labor. He sympathized with honest toil; 
he knew the fret and worry and fatigue of bread-and- 
butter work ; and he knew the proneness of the toiling 
class to lose themselves in the sordid routine of com- 
mon tasks. He stands at the door of every workshop 



88 everybody's preacher. 

saying, "O men of labor, let your souls rise above 
the hand-to-mouth struggle! Be in your labor, yet 
not of it. Be not unmindful of higher service; give 
room to nobler aspiration." He stands in the midst 
of the common people as he stood among them on the 
slopes of Olivet and urges the lesson of the life of 
trust: " Take no anxious thought for your life, what 
ye shall eat or what ye shall drink; neither for the 
body, what ye shall put on. For the life is more than 
meat and the body than raiment. Behold the fowls 
of the air: they sow not, neither do they reap, nor 
gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth 
them. Are ye not much better than they ? And 
consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they 
toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that 
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of 
these. If God so clothe the grass of the field, shall 
he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith ? 
Take, therefore, no thought for the morrow. But 
seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteous- 
ness and all these things shall be added unto you." 
He had a message for the wise. Sharp was his rebuke 
to those who were wise in their own conceit. Some 
of the Doctors of Divinity in those days were deeply 
concerned in such questions as, "How many steps 
are there in a Sabbath day's journey?" They were 
sophists, splitters of hairs. "Woe unto you, blind 
leaders of the blind," he cried; "ye have taken away 
the key of knowledge ! Ye stand in the doorway of 
the kingdom of heaven, refusing to pass in yourselves 
and blocking the way of honester people who fain 
would enter in." But others of these Doctors were 
not "sophoi,'' but " philosophoi," that is, honest 



everybody's preacher. 89 

seekers after truth ; and he gave them great truths to 
ponder on. To one such who visited him under cover 
of the night, he announced the great doctrine of Re- 
generation, evoking the response, " How can these 
things be ? " Whereupon he followed it with a greater 
doctrine, " God so loved the world, that He gave his 
only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life." If Nico- 
demus was in quest of sublimities and profundities, 
here indeed was something to think of. When that 
eminent Rabbi left the home of Jesus, bewildered 
and wondering, the great ocean of unfathomable 
truth was rolling before him. 

He had a message also for the simple. He took a child 
upon his knee and said, " Except ye become as little 
children in your attitude toward truth, ye shall in no 
wise enter the kingdom of God." On another occa- 
sion he lifted his eyes to heaven and said, " I thank 
thee, O Father, that thou hast concealed these things 
from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them 
unto babes." The truths which were announced by 
this great Teacher were indeed so profound that the 
wise may ponder on them forever, and yet so simple 
that the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err 
in this heavenly thoroughfare. 

He preached God, — the profoundest of truths; yet 
the most unwise and unlettered can say, "Abba Fa- 
ther." He preached sin, — an awful fact, a theme of 
protracted theological controversy, yet present to the 
personal conscience of the humblest. For who does 
not know that he has sinned and come short of the 
glory of God ? He preached salvation, — a matter of 
long dispute in the schools of philosophy — yet in 



90 EVERYBODY S PREACHER. 

such terms that no man can excuse himself for not 
ap - rehending it. " As Moses lifted up the serpent in 
the wilderness," sail he. "even s:- must the Sen c: 
Man t :- lifted ap in the anguish of vicarious dee:':, 
■ 'that whosoever believeth in him may have everlastir. g 
life." Look and live! There is life for a look a: the 
crucified One. Love and faith are the two arms with 
h a c':\ : .'->i em:r„;es its mother. Love and faith 
are within the comprehension of all. Love and faith 
are the two prerequisites to pardon and the endless life. 

So the doctrines the: Jes::s preached are indeed an 
ocean on the shore of which the sages stand creaming 
Lreams and seeing visions and losing themselves in 
: . :::emplat:on oi its depths; but little children play 
al : ng the bearh. laughing an 3 making merry, and the 
great ocean murmurs about them and laves their feet. 

H: hod a message for doubters too. He live! in an 
age of doubt. The Jews were weary of an empty 
liturgical service, and the gods of the Pantheon had 
lost their hold on the minds of the people. There 
were agnostics who said like Pliny the elder. "There 
is only one thing certain, namely, that there is no- 
i--v:-Z certain."' There were others who, with a des- 
perate abandon, lent themselves to an utter denial of 
all truth. Such was Pilate, who. with a curling of 
the lip, asked •::" Jesus. " What is truth? " The great 
Master cast no pearls before him: he answered not a 
word. But there were others still who. having lost 
their bearings, longed to know. One such wen: wan- 
dering in the darkness, after the crucifixion of Jesus, 
like a blind man groping along the wall. Poor 
Thomas! His best Friend was head, his fondest 
hopes were crushed. He had heard in a roundabout 



EVERYBODY S PREACHER. 9 1 

way of the resurrection of Jesus, but he was incredu- 
lous; it was indeed too good to believe. For all 
such doubters, grieving by reason of their unbelief 
and eager to learn, the Master has infinite sympathy 
and consideration : " Then saith he to Thomas, Reach 
hither thy finger and behold my hands, and reach 
hither thy hand and thrust it into my side; and be 
not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered 
and said unto him, My Lord and my God!" O 
doubting friend, reach forth and lay thy hand upon 
his wounds. Touch Jesus! To know him, to commune 
with him, is to believe. All doubt vanishes when 
the light of his countenance shines upon us. 

And he had much to say to believers. What a high 
ideal of character he sets before them! ''Be ye per- 
fect; be ye holy, for God is holy." And what a 
searching word as to their influence! "Ye are the 
salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost its savor^ 
wherewith shall it be salted ? it is thenceforth good 
for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under 
foot of men. Ye are the light of the world ; let your 
light so shine before men that they may see your 
good works and glorify God." And what frequent 
and urgent exhortation to usefulness! " Say not, It 
is yet four months and then cometh the harvest. 
Lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white al- 
ready unto the harvest. Thrust in your sickles and 
reap!" The barren fig-tree, the parable of the tal- 
ents, the stumbling-block and the millstone, the great 
commission, all these are for believers. His standard 
of Christian living is very high: "If any man will 
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his 
cross and follow me." 



92 EVERYBODY S PREACHER. 

And most sear c hi fig of all was his message to hypocrites. 
This comes to all who are living under a mask. He 
saw them ostentatiously flinging their golden offer- 
ings into the trumpet-shaped mouths of Corban; and 
when a poor widow came by, modestly dropping in 
two farthings, he said, " Behold, she hath given more 
than they all." He saw them wearing long robes, 
with broad phylacteries, and frontlets between their 
eyes, standing on the corner of the streets and mak- 
ing long prayers in order to be seen and heard of 
men; whereupon he said, "Two men went up to the 
temple to pray; the one a Pharisee and the other a 
publican. And the Pharisee prayed thus with him- 
self, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men 
are. But the publican stood afar off, not daring to 
lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but beating 
on his breast and crying, God be merciful to me a 
sinner. I say unto you, This man went down to his 
house justified rather than the other." His message 
to all pretenders is this : Be what you seem ; be honest 
as the light! God sees you through and through; all 
things are naked and open before him. Off with your 
masks, off with your disguises ! " Woe unto you 
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; ye are as whited 
sepulchres, fair without, but within full of dead men's 
bones and all uncleanness." And to the people he 
said, " Except your righteousness shall exceed the 
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall 
in no wise enter the kingdom of God." 

But sweetest, tender est and most helpful was his word to 
the sorrowing. "Blessed are ye that mourn, for ye 
shall be comforted. " In those days when the dream 
of immortality had grown thin and tenuous and the 



EVERYBODY S PREACHER. 93 

bereaved were almost without hope, he stood beside 
the open grave saying, "I am the resurrection and 
the life. He that believeth in me, though he were 
dead, yet shall he live. And he that liveth and be- 
lieveth in me shall never die." He bade them lift up 
their eyes from the darkness of the grave to the open 
heavens: " In my Father's house are many mansions; 
if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to 
prepare a place for you." There is to be a glorious 
reunion of saints in the better life. The parting here 
is not "Farewell," but " Auf wiedersehen." Death 
does not end all. 

Most of a//, he spake to sinners. He came to de- 
liver them from the shame and penalty of their sins. 
The reproach of his enemies was, "He is the friend 
of publicans and sinners." His defense was, "I am 
come to seek and to save the lost." He was not 
ashamed to converse with the adulterous woman of 
Samaria by the well of Sychar at high noon, though 
he knew that the finger of every passer-by would be 
pointed at him. He perceived that her sin-stricken 
heart was longing for pardon and restoration to pur- 
ity, and he put the cup of living water to her thirsty 
lips. His whole ministry was passed in seeking the 
lost. The love of the great Father has never been so 
wonderfully set forth as in his three great parables: 
a woman with a lighted candle seeks anxiously a lost 
coin; a shepherd with lantern in hand goes out on 
the dark mountains after the lost sheep; a father 
looks longingly toward the hills over which his way- 
ward son went long ago to waste his substance in 
riotous living, and when he sees him returning, in 
rags and tatters, he goes forth to meet him while he 



94 EVERYBODY S PREACHER. 

is yet a great way off, and falls upon his neck and 
kisses him. This is the message of Jesus to sinners: 
The only-begotten Son of God has come forth to seek 
them. His last miracle as he hung upon the cross 
in anguish was to save a malefactor who, grieving 
over a misspent life, was dying by his side: " To-day 
thou shalt be with me in paradise." So he proves 
himself willing to save, eager to save, able to save, 
even unto the uttermost. He is indeed the friend of 
sinners. He hath power on earth to forgive sin. 

Finally he had a message for hearers j for such as have 
long listened to the truth, yet not heeded it. You, 
perhaps, have been familiar with the gospel since the 
day when, at your mother's knee, you heard the old, 
old story. You have listened in the sanctuary again 
and again to appeals and exhortations. You have 
read your Bibles over and over and seen the blood- 
stained face of the Redeemer on every page and 
heard his voice saying, "Come unto me and I will 
give you rest." To you and all others whose ears 
have been dulled and whose hearts have been har- 
dened by long hearing, he addresses this faithful ad- 
monition : " Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and 
doeth them, I will liken him icnto a wise man which built 
his house upon a rock j and the rain descended and the 
floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house j 
a?td it fell not : for it was built upon a rock. And every 
one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not, 
shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house 
upon the sand : and the rain descended, and the floods ca?ne, 
and the winds blew and beat upon that house j and it fell : 
and great was the fall of it. " 

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 



WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. 

"What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh."— 
Rom. 8, 3. 

A great problem is before the mind of Paul; to 
wit, "Who shall deliver me from the body of this 
death?" As for himself, he had practically solved 
that problem in coming to Christ; but there were 
multitudes of others who were still in despair under 
the bondage of the law. He wastes no breath in 
convincing them of sin or of sure retribution; he as- 
sumes the "certain fearful looking for of judgment." 
His own conception of guilt is that of a corpse bound 
to a culprit's neck. This was the most dreadful form 
of punishment known in ancient times. 

" The living and the dead, at his command, 
Were coupled face to face and hand to hand, 
'Till, choked with stench, in loathed embraces tied, 
The lingering wretches pined away and died." 

The true character of sin — its shame, its bondage, its 
terrific possibilities — are present at one time or an- 
other to the consciousness of every man. But how to 
be delivered ? There's the question. " O wretched 
man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body 
of this death ? " 

To this problem there are two possible solutions, 
and only two: one says, "Keep the law and live by 

(95) 



g6 WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. 

it" ; the other says, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 
and thou shalt be saved." There is no other alterna- 
tive. A man is either in bondage under the law, or 
else he is under grace, abiding in the glorious liberty 
of the children of God. 

A lot of rough fellows were giving their testimony 
in the Seaman's Bethel a few evenings ago, when one 
arose and said, "I have no need of Christ or his gos- 
pel. I am a moral man and try to do right as near 
as possible. That's enough for me. I am willing to 
take my chances with the rest of you at the judgment 
bar of God. " No doubt there are many who, although 
they may not express themselves so frankly, are of 
like mind and living in the same way. 

To such persons the apostle addresses his argument 
as to the futility of hoping for salvation under law. 
He was entitled to speak on this subject; for he had 
earned the degree of Doctor of Laws in the Univer- 
sity of Jerusalem, as a pupil of the great Gamaliel, 
who was called "The Flower of the Law." He 
speaks of himself as having been a Pharisee of the 
straitest sect. His business as a rabbi was to expound 
the law, and the purpose of his life had been to ob- 
serve the law, in its most minute particulars, in the 
hope of thus attaining to the endless life. He had 
measured his prayers and counted them, as a nun 
tells the beads of her rosary. He had paid tithes, 
fasted oft, done penance and addressed himself to 
good works with the utmost scrupulosity. But one 
day on the high road to Damascus his eyes were 
opened; he saw that his merit-making was labor lost; 
a great light shone into his soul and a voice said, "I 
am Jesus!" From that moment he was no more a 



WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. 97 

legalist, but a believer in grace. He trusted in Christ 
for salvation. Grace became his sign-manual. His 
usual greeting was, "Grace be unto you." 

His Epistle to the Romans is distinctively addressed 
to legalists. In it the apostle undertakes to put the 
law on a right footing. His proposition is, "By the 
deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified," and his 
Quod erat demonstrandum is the mighty truth which was 
sung by Wesley, 

" I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all, 
But Jesus Christ is my all in all." 

The apostle here vindicates the law as efficient for 
its proper uses. "The law is good," he says; and 
again, "The law is spiritual;" and again, "The law 
is holy and the commandment is holy and just and 
good." But there are certain things which the law 
cannot do. It has its proper functions ; but too much 
must not be required of it. Water quenches thirst 
but cannot satisfy hunger. A millstone is a good 
thing in its place, but we shall probably agree that a 
millstone is not a good thing to be tied about a man's 
neck when he is learning to swim. To everything its 
proper uses. 

Certain things the law can and does accomplish : — 
I. The law expresses the mind of God. It is written : 
"No man hath seen God at any time." If you wish 
to form a just conception of some one you have never 
seen, you make inquiry as to his voice, his features, 
his moral and mental characteristics. We proceed in 
like manner in " finding out God." There are voices 
in nature and in providence to help us; but nowhere 
shall we get so clear a delineation of the divine char- 
acter as at Sinai. The precepts and principles here 



98 WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. 

enunciated give a clear outline of his nature and attri- 
butes; they speak of his justice, his righteousness, 
his truth. And the one clear, composite impression 
which we receive from the Decalogue is that the Lord 
is a holy God. 

II. The law declaims the whole duty of man. As we are 
made after God's image, our highest attainment is 
Godliness; that is, Godlikeness. The precepts that 
set forth the divine character furnish by the same 
token the perfect rule of human behavior. "Be ye 
holy, saith the Lord, for I am holy." 

It is a noteworthy fact that the Ten Commandments 
are universally recognized as a perfect code. Men 
scoff at Christ, at the gospel, at the inerrant Scrip- 
tures ; but there is a general consensus as to the fault- 
less character of the Decalogue. What a Paradise 
our world would be if only men everywhere would 
obey it ! 

III. The law draws up an indictment against all who 
violate it. It shows a man his natural face as in a 
glass. He who comes to the flaming mountain with 
a mind free from prejudice, is certain to be filled with 
fear and trembling ; ' ' for by the law is the knowledge 
of sin." 

A young man was lately arrested and tried for 
forgery. He made an earnest plea in his own behalf, 
alleging his former good character. The court was 
disposed to deal leniently with him. The officer who 
made the arrest said, "Your Honor, if you will wait 
a moment, I think I can convince you of the true 
character of this man." He went to the Rogue's 
Gallery and came back presently with a picture of a 
youth wearing a striped jacket and with his hair 



WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. 99 

cropped short. It was this same innocent-looking 
prisoner at the bar. All men are put to shame in like 
manner by the testimony of the moral law. It takes 
a " snap-shot " at every one of us a hundred times a 
day, and always with the same result; it catches us 
invariably in the overt act of sin. 

IV. The law pronounces sentence upon us. " The soul 
that sinneth, it shall die." We are said to be "con- 
demned already." In this matter the law works 
automatically. To be sure, by reason of his justice, 
God must ratify its action; but if it were conceivable 
that God should cease to be while the law continued, 
the result would be precisely the same. For sin and 
penalty are yoked together as cause and effect. 

How can we be so stolid and unconcerned in the 
face of such tremendous truths ? Do we call them in 
question? Or, can we evade their logical conclusions? 
So did Belshazzar feel secure in his festal hall. He 
knew that a hostile army surrounded his city; but 
had he not laid in provision for twenty years ? On 
with the feast ! All over the walls were cuneiform 
inscriptions to his glory. His wives and concubines 
were about him and a thousand of his lords. " Bring 
the sacred vessels that my royal father took from the 
Jewish Temple ! " It was done. The revelers drank 
deep from the sacramental cups. But on a sudden 
the king's face was blanched with terror and his knees 
smote together. Yonder on the wall were spectral 
fingers writing. Bring the seers, the astrologers, and 
let them interpret! MENE, MENE, TEKEL; "Thou 
art weighed in the balances and art found wanting." 
And, UPHARSIN ! What means Upharsin ? "Thy 
kingdom is divided and given away! " 



IOO WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. 

This is the message of the law to every man : 
"Weighed and found wanting," and "Thy kingdom 
is rent from thee." Shall the matter end here ? Shall 
the law take its course? Shall the sentence be execu- 
ted ? " He that doeth the law shall live by it, and he 
that disobeyeth shall die by it." 

We have seen what the law can do and does. Let 
us turn now to the other side and inquire what the 
law cannot do. 

First, it cannot co?npel obedience. It has to deal with 
men who are possessed of independent wills. Had 
men been created otherwise than with moral freedom, 
they would have been no more capable of positive 
character than stocks or stones or graven images or 
hitching-posts. But moral freedom involves the 
power to do right or wrong at pleasure. The law 
says, " Thou shalt " ; a man can answer, "I will not." 
And the awful calamity is that we all by nature are 
disposed to antagonize the law. This is not the time 
for a discussion on depravity ; let it suffice to call 
attention to the universal fact. We would rather 
break than keep the law. Did you ever see a sign, 
"No Trespassing," without feeling inclined on the 
instant to climb the fence and cross that particular 
field? 

It is not the law's fault that it cannot enforce 
itself. The words of the apostle are, " What the law 
could not do in that it was weak through the flesh," 
that is, by reason of our infirmity. As I passed along 
Nassau Street yesterday in dreamy mood, I heard a 
voice say, "Please help me over." A blind man 
stood helpless on the corner, waiting for some one of 
the thronging multitude to lead him over the cross- 



WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. IOI 

ing. I took his arm ; and as we passed on, I observed 
that his eyes were wide open and uplifted. The sun 
shone brightly; the light had all its usual potency; 
but, alas! it was weak through his flesh. Had I led 
that man to the best of our opticians and said, " Give 
him spectacles," he would have replied, "My services 
are of no value in this case; I can do nothing for 
him." So is it with the law. It is intrinsically 
mighty, but utterly disabled in the case of a wilful 
man. 

Secondly, it cannot ignore sin. Here again it works 
automatically, as if it were a machine made of levers 
and wheels. It has no heart to pity, otherwise it 
would not be law. It is all eyes. It must take cog- 
nizance of every sin. 

And here is a startling fact — you may resent it, 
but the logic is beyond all peradventure — "Whoso- 
ever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one 
point, he is guilty of all." There is a manifest reason 
for this. A chain is measured by the strength of its 
weakest link. A ship held by an iron cable is, if one 
link be broken, at the mercy of the storm. In order 
to break the electric connection between America and 
the British Isles, it is not necessary to destroy the 
whole submarine cable; cut out one inch and you 
break the circuit. If you would wreck a train on the 
New York Central, do not take the trouble to tear 
up the track clear from New York to Albany; dig 
under a single rail at Garrison's and the thing is 
done. So is it with the strength of the moral law as 
a saving power. "He that keepeth it shall live by 
it"; but a single sin breaks the charm. It makes a 
man a sinner, arrays him against the law, and brings 



102 WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. 

him under the penalty: "The soul that sinneth it 
shall die." 

Thirdly, the law cannot absolve from sin. It cannot 
pardon. Hence the proverb, "Relentless as law." 
It cannot make allowances or receive excuses. It is 
vain for us to stand at Sinai and say, "I did not 
think," or, "I did not intend," or, " I will never do 
it again." The law turns neither to the right hand 
nor to the left, but moves straight on. 

It was a true word that Anne of Austria said to 
Richelieu: "My Lord Cardinal, there is one fact 
which you seem to have entirely forgotten: the law 
of Jehovah is a sure paymaster; it may not be at the 
end of every day or month, but I charge you, my 
Lord, to remember this, the law sooner or later is a 
sure paymaster! " 

Fourthly, therefore the law cannot save. The one 
thing which we require of it is absolutely impossible. 
It can justify no flesh. It is written, "We are all 
concluded under sin." The word "concluded " here 
means literally "shut up." We are all in prison con- 
demned and awaiting the execution of our sentence. 
The law can do many things for us in this emergency: 
it can bring us food and water, nosegays and books 
to read; it can promise us a decent burial; it can buy 
us a shroud, a black cap and a beautiful silken rope 
for our neck; it can promise a eulogy and a Latin 
epitaph; it can do everything but the one thing need- 
ful, — it cannot open the doors, it cannot let us out 
into freedom and light. At this point, if we are rea- 
sonable men, we cry for a kind of help which the law 
cannot give us. 

And yet the law is not impotent at this juncture. 



WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. IO3 

In mentioning what it could do, I designedly omitted 
one thing; namely, " The law is a schoolmaster to lead 
us to Christ." It cannot save, but it can point us to 
the Saviour. It cannot save, but it can terrify us 
with its lightnings and thunders until we flee from 
the flaming mountain to the mountain that is stained 
with blood. Here the Merciful One hangs upon the 
cross, the Mighty to Save. 

" O safe and happy shelter, 
O refuge tried and sweet; 
O trysting-place where Heaven's love 
And Heaven's justice meet! 

There lies beneath its shadow, 

But on the further side, 
The darkness of an awful grave 

That gapes both deep and wide. 

And there between us stands the Cross. 

Two arms outstretch to save, 
Like a watchman set to guard the way 

From that eternal grave." 

* ' For what the law could not do in that it was weak 
through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness 
of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that 
the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us." He 
bore our sins in his own body on the tree. He that 
believeth in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. 
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. 

You must take your choice, my friend. You must! 
You must live either under the law or under grace. 
You must go on in a hopeless endeavor to work your 
way to everlasting life, or you must trust in Jesus and 
let him save you. Does your pride stand in the way? 
An infidel once said, "I tell you frankly, I am not 



104 WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO. 

willing to be saved gratis." But grace is gratuity. 
The unspeakable gift of God is without money and 
without price. "Only believe." If you are ever 
saved, you must be saved that way. 

As Napoleon rode through the Rue de Rivoli, 
returning from the front with his victorious army, a 
young girl ran out of the crowd and threw herself 
before his horse's feet. "Mercy, sire!" she cried. 
" What will you, my daughter ? " he said kindly. "O 
sire ! mercy for my father; he is the officer whom you 
have sentenced to death for treason." The face of 
Napoleon hardened. "Your father shall have jus- 
tice," he replied. At that saying, her fervor in- 
creased : "O sire, not justice, but mercy! Justice 
means death! Mercy! mercy, sire!" And this, 
friends, is the only plea that a sinner can offer before 
God. Justice means death. Law means shame and 
despair forever. Let us beat upon our breasts and 
make our plea, "God be merciful to me a sinner! " 
And he who is able to save even unto the uttermost 
will hear and answer us. 



" I THIRST." 

(A Sacramental Meditation) 

" After this Jesus, knowing- that all things were now accomplished, that the 
Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst."— John 19, 28. 

This is the shortest of the "Seven Sayings on the 
Cross." It is as brief and simple as the wail of a 
little child. The chronicler makes no comment, at- 
tempts no explanation. This is characteristic of the 
Holy Scriptures. Had our sensational journals been 
an institution of that time, there would have been a 
very different report of this singular event. What 
head lines! What prolixity and particularity! What 
surmises and suggestions and hypotheses! What 
harrowing delineation of the death anguish; the 
blanching face, the fever-bursting eyes, the parched 
lips! But there is nothing of this in the sacred nar- 
rative. " After this Jesus saith, I thirst." 

Yet the person and work of Christ are comprehen- 
sively set forth in this pathetic cry. 

I. It represents him as the perfect So?i of God. We 
also are called sons of God, but in a lesser and lower 
sense. He is the divine, the coequal, the eternal, the 
only-begotten and well-beloved Son. 

At his baptism, "He went up straightway out of 
the water; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto 
him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a 

(105) 



106 lc I THIRST." 

dove and lighting upon him: and, lo, a voice from 
heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I 
am well pleased." Xo such word was ever spoken 
of a mere man. Xo such distinguishing praise was 
ever addressed to any creature whose breath is in his 
nostrils. Why was the Father so well pleased with 
Jesus ? Xot only because of that peculiar filial relation 
which he sustained to the Father in the eternal genera- 
tion, but because he alone lived up to the full measure 
of the divine plan. All his earthly life was fulfilment; 
it had been predicted in its minutest particulars. The 
Old Testament is full of the prophetic forecast; his 
birth, the time and place of it, his humble environ- 
ment, his ministry, the manner of his death, the part- 
ing of his raiment, the piercing of his side, his resur- 
rection from the dead, his ascension. All these may 
be read in the glowing hierogram which runs through 
revelation like a golden thread. And the life of 
Jesus, like an indenture, fitted at every point and 
in every way into this eternal plan. 

Here is the significance of these words, "That the 
Scripture might be fulfilled." It had been written a 
thousand years before in the sixty-ninth Psalm: " In 
my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Even in 
this particular he must meet the prophetic manifest; 
wherefore, he cried, " I thirst! " 

All lives are divinely marked out. God has great 
purposes concerning each of us. And the best hu- 
man life is that which measures itself by the eternal 
purpose. But, alas! we all come short. The best of 
God's children is a disappointment to him. It is 
written of the human race, whom God had intended 
to be a holy, harmless and undefiled people, that 



"i THIRST. 107 

when they had corrupted their way upon the earth 
and filled it with violence, "it repented Jehovah that 
he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at 
his heart." Who shall adequately depict the paren- 
tal sorrow and disappointment which is suggested in 
those words ? And of all the descendants of Adam 
there has never been one who has come up to the high 
level of the Father's purpose concerning him; not 
one who can say, "My Father, I am what thou in- 
tendedst me to be"; not one who can say, "I have 
finished the work thou gavest me to do." But this 
should be our supreme ambition; as it is written, 
"Work out your own salvation." Not salvation in 
its narrow sense, to wit, a mere deliverance from 
eternal fire, but that larger salvation which takes in 
all manhood and character, all influence and useful- 
ness. Hew to the line, my brother. Work out your 
own salvation to the very uttermost. Work it out ! 
Come up to the full measure of the divine plan. 
"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 
for it is God that worketh in you." 

II. In the cry, "I thirst! " we note also the setting 
forth of Jesus as the perfect Son of Man. It is "the 
cry of the human." In our contemplation of Jesus 
we must never lose sight of his perfect humanity. 
No heresy is more disastrous to our faith than that 
of the Docetists, who held that Jesus was not a veri- 
table man, but God dwelling in a semblance of mor- 
tal flesh ; that his body was a phantom ; that the real- 
ity was God. 

It is written, " Forasmuch then as the children are 
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise 
took part of the same." And again, "In all things 



108 "I THIRST." 

it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren." 
And again, "We have not an high priest which can- 
not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, 
but was in all points tempted (that is, tried) like as 
we are, yet without sin." 

But if Jesus is to enter wholly into the fellowship 
of humanity, he must not be free from the experience 
of pain; for this, as Dryden says, "is the porcelain 
clay of human kind." It is a singular fact, that up 
to this point in his passion our Lord had given no 
token of physical pain. For twenty hours he had 
been enduring shame and buffeting with a patience 
that seems superhuman; he had been mocked and 
scourged and spit upon; he had been nailed to the 
cross, and for three mortal hours had hung between 
heaven and earth; yet not a murmur, nor a cry of 
pain escaped him. Was he then above human expe- 
rience ? Would he die like a Stoic, or like an Indian 
tied to the stake " who dies and makes no sign"? 
Had he no nerves ? Was he superior to pain ? 

No; this bitter cry discovers his full humanity. He 
dies like other men. At night when the battle is 
over, the dying who lie scattered over the field forget 
their bleeding wounds in the anguish of mortal thirst, 
and on every side they feebly cry, " Water! Water! " 
Ah, Jesus understands that. At this moment some 
one somewhere is dying, and close by stands a friend 
ministering to the last desire, wetting the fevered 
lips. Christ knows that anguish, for he also at the 
last moment cried, " I thirst." 

Why did he not call to the rescue his illimitable 
power in this moment of pain ? Why was it neces- 
sary that he should thirst ? Was it not he who had 



109 

smitten the rocks among the mountains, that all the 
springs might gush forth ? Were not all the brooks 
that went murmuring through the meadows under 
his control ? Rivers were rolling to the sea; clouds 
full of water were floating overhead ; legions of un- 
seen angels were round about his cross, ready to min- 
ister to him ; yet in this supreme moment of anguish 
there was not a drop for his thirsty lips. He must 
keep his Godhood in reserve, that he may enter into 
the full sorrows of humanity. Aye, he can be touched 
with a feeling of our infirmities. He was "in all 
points " such as we are. He was very man of very man. 

III. Still further, he here shows himself to be the 
perfect Mediator between God and man. It must never 
be forgotten that the pain of Jesus was vicarious pain. 
On the cross he exchanged places with us: " He was 
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for 
our iniquities, and by his stripes we are healed." 
" He bare our sins in his own body on the tree." 

The cry, ' ' I thirst ! " was expressive of physical pain, 
but of something deeper also. Our Lord was enter- 
ing into a region of sorrow, shame and remorse for 
sin. He so far identified himself with us that, as he 
penetrated the dark region of the atonement, he lost 
self-consciousness more and more. It is the cry of 
souls under the lash of sin's whip of scorpions which 
he utters here ; for he descended into hell for us. 

The word that expresses Gehenna better than any 
other is ' ' thirst. " This was in the mind of the Greeks 
when, in their mythology, they doomed Tantalus, the 
son of Jupiter, for the murder of Pelops, to stand 
breast deep in water, which ever receded as he bent 
toward it with burning lips. There is a like concep- 



IIO "I THIRST. 

tion in our Lord's parable of Dives, who in the region 
of despair prayed that one might be sent to dip the 
tip of his fingers in water and cool his tongue ; ' ' for, " 
he said, " I am tormented in this flame." The thirst 
here is not physical thirst any more than the flame is 
material fire; but it expresses an awful, unsatisfied 
longing and hopeless regret. If our Lord in vicari- 
ous anguish is to take upon himself our penalty to 
the very uttermost, he must know this experience. 
The burden of the world's sin was upon him. He 
forgot himself. He exchanged places with those who 
were doomed to pass under the dark portals of eter- 
nal death. His thirst was the thirst of the perishing 
children of men. 

Is there one who says, "I do not believe in hell." 
Where have you been, my friend ? You surely have 
not read the newspapers. O the endless chronicles 
of woe! The want and squalor, the surrender to bes- 
tial vices, the crime, the hopeless remorse! O the 
long procession to death ! We say that heaven be- 
gins here and now. And why not hell, also ? The 
cry of Jesus, "I thirst!" is the cry of the sinning, 
suffering, despairing multitude. He must enter into 
this profound depth of sorrow if he would relieve it. 
Thus in his last anguish he touches with one hand 
the world that he came to save, and with the other 
the infinite God who alone can save it. And therein 
he becomes a perfect mediator, the only mediator 
between God and man. 

So he reveals himself in this utterance in the en- 
tirety of his nature and personality as perfect Son of 
God, perfect Son of Man, and perfect Mediator. And 
here is manifest the whole rationale of redemption. 



"I THIRST. Ill 

In this triple character he meets the spiritual want of 
the whole world "groaning and travailing in pain to- 
gether until now"; for thus he is able " to save them 
to the uttermost that come unto God by him." 

All this must make a tremendous appeal to thought- 
ful men who have not yet accepted Christ as their 
Saviour. For he bears our mortal thirst, that he may 
put the cup of living water to our lips. To the wo- 
man of Samaria he said, " If thou knewest who it is 
that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst 
have asked of him and he would have given thee liv- 
ing water." In his passion of death he offers the gift 
of life. O, if thou knewest, thou wouldst ask him. 
For whosoever drinketh of the water that he will 
give, shall never thirst; but the water that Christ 
giveth, shall be in him a well of water springing up 
into everlasting life. 

I remember hearing, when I was a boy, the great 
orator, John B. Gough, pronounce an apostrophe to a 
cup of water held in his hand. He spoke of it in 
words of rare eloquence; as "gushing from the heart 
of the mountains, dropping from the clouds of hea- 
ven, laughing, and full of life." But there is some- 
thing sweeter and more refreshing than that. I hear 
the murmur of a river that flows from beneath the 
throne of God and of the Lamb; a pure river of water 
of life, clear as crystal; on either side of it are living 
trees which bear twelve manner of fruits, and their 
leaves are for the healing of the nations. Ho, every 
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters! Whoso- 
ever is athirst, let him stoop down and drink and live 
forever ! 

But the profoundest appeal of this death cry is to 



112 "I THIRST. 

those who follow Christ. "If thou knewest who it 
is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink " — what 
then, beloved ? Ah, surely you would give him to 
drink! By all your love, by all your devotion, by all 
your vows of loyalty, you would instantly give him 
to drink. And this you can do by putting the cup of 
cold water to the thirsty lips of his little ones. 

It is pleasant to know that there was one at Calvary 
that day who was moved by this appeal. It is writ- 
ten, " Straightway one of them ran and took a sponge 
and filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed and 
gave him to drink," — probably one of the soldiers, 
hardened to deeds of cruelty in long Roman cam- 
paigns. His comrades mocked him, saying, "Let 
be; let us see whether Elias will come to save him." 
But he disregarded them ; for his heart was touched. 
It shall be remembered as a memorial of him forever, 
that he heeded the dying Jesus' mortal cry, "I 
thirst! " 

The world is perishing for want of the water of 
life. The cry of Jesus is the cry of the slums, of the 
lapsed masses, of the friendless and despairing, of 
thieves and murderers, of the pagan multitudes, of 
those who dwell in the regions of darkness and of 
the shadow of death, of the poor and unbefriended 
and unholy everywhere. Would you give Jesus to 
drink ? Then put the cup of water to their lips. For 
it has pleased Jesus to identify himself with the needy 
everywhere. "I was an hungered," he says, "and 
ye gave me meat; I was thirsty and ye gave me to 
drink; I was a stranger and ye took me in, naked 
and ye clothed me, sick and ye visited me, in prison 
and ye came unto me." 



"I THIRST. 113 

This is practical Christianity. To weep at Calvary 
is no evidence of devotion to Jesus. He cries, ''I 
thirst" ; and he plainly tells us how we may satisfy 
his thirst. We are to give to the people — the suffer- 
ing multitudes for whom he died — the cup of cold 
water in his name. They are perishing — in our 
streets, on our frontiers, in pagan lands, everywhere — 
for want of it. They drink at earthly fountains only 
to thirst again and stagger on in their great need. 
Run with the Holy Grail — the name of Jesus graven 
deep upon it — and give them to drink. They are an- 
hungered and naked, they are sick and in prison ; 
their pain is the pain of Jesus. It is he who, with 
their hoarse voices and fevered lips calls for the satis- 
fying draught — and calls to thee. 

"There is a doorway in a narrow street, 

And close beside that door a broken stair, 
And then a low, dark room. 

The room is bare; 
But in a corner lies 

A worn-out form upon a hard straw-bed, 
No pillow underneath his aching head : 
A face grown wan with suffering, and a hand 
Scarce strong enough to reach the small, dry crust 
That lies upon the chair. 
'Go in,' the Master says, ' for I am there ! 

I have been waiting wearily in that cold room, 
Waiting long, lonely hours, 

Waiting for thee to come.' " 

This is the message : If thou lovest Christ, take 
Christ to the people. He alone can quench the deep 
thirst of the undying soul. Give them to drink in 
the name of him who burned with their fever on the 
cross. Give ye them to drink ! And remember the 
word of the Lord Jesus, how he said, " Inasmuch as 
ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye 
have done it unto me." 



KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 

" Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house ; 
and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled 
upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before bis 
God, as he did aforetime."— Daniel 6, 10. 

At this time Daniel was eighty-one years old. He 
had distinguished himself as a statesman and diplo- 
mat. He was the Bismarck of Babylon, with a long 
record of public usefulness unstained by rumor of 
malfeasance or betrayal of trust. 

His story reads like a romance. He had been 
brought as a captive from Jerusalem at the age 
of twelve. On account of his comeliness and in- 
tellectual promise he had been selected, with other 
captive youths of noble lineage, to receive an educa- 
tion in Babylonish lore. He was assigned to the royal 
bounty at the king's table. A difficulty here con- 
fronted him. The meat that was spread upon the 
table, had previously been offered on the altars of 
pagan gods. It is written, "He purposed in his 
heart that he would not defile himself with the king's 
meat." The alternative, which he chose, was a sim- 
ple diet of pulse and water. He was the stuff that 
heroes are made of. The boy is father of the man. 

Time passed. Step by step he rose to successive 
positions of honor and responsibility until, the Medo- 

(114) 



KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 115 

Persian empire being divided into one hundred and 
twenty satrapies, he was made one of a triumvirate 
to rule over them. But his success and faithfulness 
had provoked the hostility of his pagan confreres; 
envy ever "hates the excellence it cannot reach." In 
matters of public trust they could find no occasion 
against him; he was vulnerable only at one point, 
that is, his religion. He was a Jew, a nonconform- 
ist. For more than fourscore years, he had been 
loyal to his ancestral faith. And just there the trap 
was laid for him. 

The conspirators knew the weakness of their king. 
They said to him, " King Darius, live forever ! We 
have consulted together and recommend an ordinance, 
that whosoever for thirty days shall ask a petition of 
any god or man, save of thee, O king, shall be cast 
into the den of lions." It was, in fact, a proposition 
to deify the king. He was overcome by their flat- 
tery. The proclamation was drawn up, and the royal 
seal was affixed, making it " a law of the Medes and 
Persians which altereth not." 

No prayer for thirty days. What a disconsolate 
period ! The temples of Bel, Nebo and Merodach 
forsaken. Household images put away. No sacri- 
ficial fires on the altars. No ceremonial processions 
through the streets. The sorrowing must not plead 
for comfort. Nay, the children must not even cry 
for bread. But when Darius drove out in his chariot 
of state, all Babylon must prostrate itself before him 
as before a very god. 

And if any refused ? The den of lions ! The 
ferocious beasts, kept for the grim amusement of a 
semi-barbaric court, pacing up and down, famished, 



Tl6 KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 

with eyes aflame, await their prey. Death for a sup- 
plication ! Who dares brave it ? 

The people are under espionage. Spies are sent 
out for trangressors. "If ye find any, bring them 
hither; and, above all, watch the house of Daniel the 
Jew." They had not long to wait. Aha! Yonder 
he kneels at his window, in plain view. Daniel is in 
the meshes, caught at last. 

This is the figure which we are to contemplate: 

I. A man on his knees. It is our noblest posture. 
The first of the Christian emperors, when asked 
in what attitude he should be portrayed, said, 
" Paint me on my knees, fori have attained to emi- 
nence in that way." If it be true that we are God's 
offspring, it follows that we are never so loyal to our 
birth and the noble laws of our being, as when in 
close and friendly communion with God. 

My friend, have you prayed to-day ? Is it possible 
that you have lived on God's bounty, breathing his 
air, eating his food, rejoicing in his sunshine, and 
have not had the grace to acknowledge it ? A dog 
will lick the hand of the master who feeds him. It is 
the suggestion of common courtesy that, confessing 
ourselves to be dependent on God's bounty, we should 
say, " I thank Thee." 

Let it be observed that Daniel was accustomed to 
pray. " He knelt down and prayed and gave thanks, 
as he did aforetime." He was wont to make his sup- 
plication; had an appointed place and had stated 
times, thrice each day. It is a matter of great im- 
portance to form a habit of prayer. The word 
"habit" is significant; it comes from habeo, meaning 
" to hold " or "to fit. " The word is used to indicate 



KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 117 

either a way of living or a suit of clothes, and indeed 
the two are much alike. A coat adjusts itself in 
creases and wrinkles to its wearer. As time passes, 
we say, "It fits, it sits well, it grows easy." And 
thus it is with any moral wont; in time it adjusts 
itself, grows easy, becomes a matter of course. 

All men pray in moments of emergency. In the 
face of sudden danger they cry out instinctively to 
God. I have seen many die, but never one who 
did not feel the necessity of prayer in that "hour 
that tries the soul." But he who has formed the 
habit meets all emergencies with ready ease. He 
prays "as aforetime." Nothing takes him unawares. 
The onslaught of the adversary finds him with his 
armor on. When he reaches the valley of the shad- 
ow, he leans on his accustomed staff. 

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 

The Christian's native air; 
His watchword at the gates of death, 

He enters heaven with prayer. 

II. The windows of DanieVs chamber were open. We 
are not told why; perhaps only that the cool west 
wind might blow in. 

It is not said that Daniel opened them on this oc- 
casion; but, "his windows being open, he knelt 
down, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God." 
The true worshiper does not make a spectacle of his 
piety. Our Lord has something to say upon this point : 
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the 
hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing in the 
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they 
may be seen of men." And he speaks with grave 
displeasure of a certain Pharisee who, planting him- 



Il8 KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 

self in a conspicuous place, prayed thus with himself, 
"God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are." 

But observe: the windows of Daniel's chamber 
being already open, he did not shut them. We may 
imagine that on entering the room and finding the 
windows thrown back, he reasoned thus: "What 
shall I do ? Here is the spot where I have been 
accustomed to kneel before God. But spies are 
probably at this moment observing me. Why should 
I kneel? Will it not answer every purpose if I make 
my supplication in the privacy of my own breast? 
Yet that would blur the record of my former life. 
Suppose, then, I close the lattice. Why not ? If I 
am enclosed in the toils of my adversaries now, my 
usefulness will end. Shall I close the windows then? 
Nay; by all that is true, noble and manly, I cannot! 
What is there in my religion to be ashamed of; or 
whom shall I fear? Have I not the sure promise of 
God? Nay; I'll be no coward. I'll pray as I have 
done aforetime, and trust in my God." And down 
he dropped upon his knees. 

III. // is said that his windows were open toward 
Jerusalem. Why toward Jerusalem ? Was it be- 
cause the home of his boyhood was there ? An old 
lady said to me yesterday, that she had just returned 
from a visit to New Haven ; there she sought the old 
homestead, to find not a vestige left except a vener- 
able elm that had stood before her father's door. " I 
would have kissed it," she said, "but for the pass- 
ers-by. As it was, I stood and affectionately stroked 
the bark of the old tree." It may be that Daniel too 
had often looked away through those open windows, 
in fond remembrance of the scenes of his former life. 



KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 119 

But there was something more. It was ordained 
that the Jews scattered abroad in their captivity- 
should worship with their faces toward the Holy City. 
There was a profound reason for this; the " Hope of 
Israel " centered there. The rites and ceremonies of 
their religious economy, all pointing toward the 
Messiah, were observed there. It was on the heights 
of Mount Moriah that Abraham had lifted the sacri- 
ficial knife above his son, "his only son whom he 
loved " — a passion-play, a foregleam of Calvary. It 
was on those same heights, at the threshing floor of 
Araunah, that the destroying angel of the pestilence 
had stayed his hand in answer to the intercessory 
prayer of David, — another foregleam, a silhouette of 
the great deliverance, a prophecy of the cross. And 
there Solomon had reared the temple, the " House 
Magnifical." But what was that temple without its 
altar ? And what was the altar without the sacrifice ? 
And what was the sacrifice without the blood ? Thus 
all things in the worship at Jerusalem were signifi- 
cant of Christ. 

We also pray with our windows open toward Jeru- 
salum; but it is the Jerusalem above, where Christ 
sitteth in light and glory unapproachable, evermore 
making intercession for us. The shadows of the old 
dispensation have vanished before the sun. Judaism 
as an ethnic religion has been merged in Christianity 
as the universal faith. Our Lord said to the woman 
of Samaria, '* Believe me, the hour cometh when nei- 
ther in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, shall ye 
worship the Father; but the true worshipers shall 
worship the Father in spirit and in truth." That 
hour came when, hanging on his cross, he cried, "It 



120 KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 

is finished!" It was probably at that instant that 
the priest engaged in lighting the evening lamps in 
the temple, saw the veil before the Holy of Holies 
rent, as by an unseen hand, from top to bottom, sig- 
nifying that henceforth the mysteries of the faith, 
merged in the glory of Christ, were open to all the 
children of men. 

The power of prayer is in this shibboleth, "For 
Jesus' sake." Our windows thus are open toward 
the throne of the heavenly grace where our Lord 
ever maketh intercession for us. 

I do not mean to say that when Daniel turned his 
face toward Jerusalem he fully understood all this; 
but he lived up to the measure of his prophetic light. 
He must have known that there was no more virtue 
in the west than in any other point of the compass, 
for God is everywhere. But in turning his face 
thither, he did homage to a great truth, which was 
in dim outline before him. We who stand on the 
hither side of the cross, are in the glory of the gospel 
day. We trust in the power of our Saviour's blood. 
We expect to be answered for his sake. Wherefore, 
our eyes are ever toward him. 

IV. Now as to the sequel. The guards are walking 
to and fro before the lions' den. Daniel is within. 
They had expected to hear the roar of the famished 
beasts, the tearing of flesh and crunching of bones; 
but there is a strange silence. They wonder, confer, 
draw the great stone aside to see. The beasts are 
huddled yonder in a corner, as if cowed and fearful! 
Daniel kneels with his face uplifted. What is there 
between him and them ? 

In the meantime the king had retired to his bed- 



KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 121 

chamber; but he could not sleep. " His sleep went 
from him." He tossed to and fro uneasily; he was 
"sore displeased with himself"; for he loved his 
faithful chancellor whom he had committed to the 
lions. Look on that picture and then on this! While 
Daniel kneels calmly in the face of danger, his king 
is tortured by an evil conscience. At the first glimmer 
of the dawn he rises and betakes himself to the den 
of lions. The silence is ominous. In a lamentable 
voice he cries, "O Daniel! Has the God, whom thou 
dost worship, been able to deliver thee? " And a 
voice from within answers, "O king, live forever!' 
My God hath sent his angel to shut the mouth of the 
lions, that they might not hurt me." Roll back the 
stone; let this man out. Vindicated? Nay, more; 
tried as fine gold is tried in the furnace. A sevenfold 
better man than when he went in. And another 
royal decree is issued, "Let all men in my dominion 
tremble before Daniel's God." 

What is the lesson? It pays to stand for principle. In 
the long run it is bad policy to sacrifice principle to 
policy. We weaken and die of compromise. One of 
the significant dates in American history is March 
7th, 1850. On that day a great statesman, name- 
sake of Daniel, shamed the record of a long lifetime of 
public usefulness. He had been identified with the 
cause of freedom and humanity. He had stood side 
by side with Henry Clay in many a bold crusade for 
human rights. In his memorable reply to Hayne he 
had given the best exposition of constitutional govern- 
ment that has ever been heard in our legislative halls. 
But on March 7th, 1850, alarmed by threats of civil 
war, he bowed like a doughface to kiss the feet of the 



122 KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 

oppressor. His fall was lamented by Whittier in a 
poem called, ' ' Ichabod, " in which Daniel Webster was 
likened to Noah, drunken and uncovered in his tent : — 

" So fallen! So lost! The light withdrawn 

Which once he wore; 
The glory from his gray hairs gone 

Forevermore. 
Then pay the homage of old days 

To his dead fame; 
Walk backward with averted gaze, 

And hide the shame." 

The men whom we delight to honor in the record 
of the past, are those who have been willing to stand 
for the truth against the world; who have faced the 
scourge, confiscation, exile and death, for principle; 
who in moments of danger have been ready to say, 
" Here I stand, I cannot otherwise. God help me !" 

Let us bring this story up to date. The modern 
Daniel is the Daniel we have to do with. The mer- 
chant who reads this stirring tale of heroism has no 
lack of opportunity to emulate it; in his commercial 
life he meets the question again and again, "Shall I be 
governed by considerations of policy or of prin- 
ciple ?" 

The young woman in social life must determine, 
over and over, whether she will be true to her vows 
of Christian faithfulness, or yield to the allurements 
of frivolity and worldliness. 

The young man in the life of the busy city is ever 
tempted to cowardly surrender; yonder is the wine- 
glass, yonder a hand beckoning from the doorway of 
her whose feet take hold on hell. 



KNEELING AT OPEN WINDOWS. 123 

Are your windows open toward Jerusalem ? Kneel 
down, no matter who beholds, and make your prayer. 
Let your light so shine that men may see your 
good works and glorify God. Speak up, man ; no 
mouthing or mumbling, in God's name ! Be true 
to your faith; true to your convictions; true to the 
teaching of Scripture; true to your conscience; true 
to Christ who bought you with his precious blood. 
Quit yourself like a man, and the God of Daniel will 
never leave you nor forsake you. 



"IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING." 

A CHRISTMAS SERMON. 

" Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the 
king."— Matt. 2, 1. 

This petty ruler was called " The Great." He was 
the founder of the Herodian family. He had risen 
from an humble Idumean origin by successive steps 
of promotion to be governor, tetrarch, provincial 
king. But what's in a name ? The spectre with 
the scythe and hour-glass breathes, and, lo, all \itles 
vanish like the fabric of a dream. 

He was a clever politician, knowing how to adjust 
himself to the ups and downs of circumstance. He 
was true successively to Pompey, Caesar and Cassius. 
In his religion also he was a time-server and syco- 
phant. He courted popularity but made himself uni- 
versally unpopular. He rebuilt the Jewish temple, 
and placed the golden eagle of Rome above its en- 
trance; and the Jews hated him. He built a temple 
on Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans; and the Sa- 
maritans despised him. He built a temple at Caesarea 
for the pagan gods, and was repaid by plots and con- 
spiracies. His life was in constant danger: He 
found it necessary to surround himself with a circle 
of foreign mercenaries and his capital with a chain 
of fortified towns. 

(124) 



"IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING." 1 25 

His personal character was an open scandal. His 
tyranny in public administration was only equalled 
by his private vices. He had ten wives; he murdered 
one of them and three sons. The Emperor Au- 
gustus is credited with this epigram, " It were better 
to be one of Herod's swine, than one of his children." 

He reigned thirty-seven years. Despite his vices 
he had many of the qualities that go to make a suc- 
cessful ruler. He combined with an iron will a cour- 
ageous spirit and great shrewdness. He had much 
to do with the triumphant campaigns of Rome 
which resulted in the subjugation of the world. He 
was a famous architect, delighting in magnificent 
temples and palaces; but of these not one stone is 
left upon another. Afflavit Deus ! The implacable 
logic of events has left this man no monument. 

He died as the fool dieth; his soul shaken with re- 
morse, his frame consumed with fever, his joints 
racked and rent asunder by gangrene. He was bur- 
ied with ostentatious display somewhere under the 
palms of Jericho, and no man knoweth of his grave. 

His greatness was superficial and transient. His 
only place in history and his only title to immortality 
are due to his casual contact with a certain Peasant 
Child. 

I. " The days of Herod the king." The phrase is 
more than a notation of time. An age or gener- 
ation is a composite photograph of the individuals 
who compose it. If you strike the average of men 
and events at the beginning of the Christian Era, 
you will get Herod the king. He stands for an 
epoch, for an order of things. 

1. His days were days of peace. For the third time 



126 

in the history of the Roman Empire the great gates 
of the temple of Janus were closed. But, alas! it was 
the peace of a base and utter stagnation. All nations 
of the earth had been made to pass under the yoke of 
imperial Rome. 

The Jews, after a long and stubborn defense of 
their autonomy, had been obliged to yield; the scep- 
tre had passed from Judah and the lawgiver from be- 
tween his feet. The mission of this people had in- 
deed been fully accomplished. They had been 
"chosen " to cherish the true religion and hand down 
its oracles to succeeding ages. They supposed that 
their religion was an exclusive prerogative; but in 
their final dispersion they carried monotheism among 
the nations everywhere, and so bore their part in the 
preparation for the coming of Christ. 

The Greeks had been engaged for centuries in the 
perfecting of a language for the uses of art, science 
and philosophy. It is difficult to see how the new 
religion could have found an adequate expression in 
any other. The Greeks meant their language for the 
use of Plato and Demosthenes; but in its elaboration 
they were unwittingly doing their part toward the 
formulation of the Gospel of Christ. 

The Romans had now gathered these and other na- 
tions under their imperial sway. They had extended 
their lines of influence over the entire civilized world. 
They had built roads and cast up highways for their 
armies. They had made thoroughfares for their com- 
merce over all the seas. They built those splendid 
highways, as they supposed, for the march of Caesar's 
cohorts: in truth they were destined for the heralds 
of the evangel. 



"IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING. 1 27 

The triple preparation was now accomplished. 
God had subsidized the three great nations for the 
fulfilment of his purpose. The world had become 
acquainted with monotheism; a language had been 
framed for the best utterance of religious thought; 
the roads were ready for the heralds. The all-prevail- 
ing peace was a token of the fulness of the time. 

2. The days of Herod were days of darkness. It had 
been written in prophecy, "The sun shall be turned 
into darkness before that great and notable day of 
the Lord." And again, "For, behold, darkness 
shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people." 
And again, "The sun and moon shall be dark, and 
the stars shall withdraw their shining." 

The night had closed in. The gods of the 
pantheons had fallen from their pedestals. The 
lights of the golden candlestick were extinguished 
in the temple. Darkness of sin, darkness of igno- 
rance, darkness of despair. A darkness like that of 
Egypt, which could be felt; so chill, so thick, that ar- 
tificial lights went out. It was darkness like the fall- 
ing of a funeral pall. It was a night full of ghosts 
and spectres and base superstitions — a night of fear 
and trembling and crying, ' ' Would God it were day ! " 

Truth had fallen in the streets and Righteousness 
could not enter. The pagan priests looked into each 
other's faces and smiled at their mutual deceits. The 
two extremes of credulous superstition and blank un- 
belief held sway. When Pilate sneered with curling 
lip and lifted eyebrows, " What is truth ? " he did but 
voice the spirit of his age. 

And when truth has vanished, virtue dies. There 
was wickedness in high places and in low places. 



128 "IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING.'* 

Drunkenness and licentiousness walked hand in 
hand. The sanctions of morality were gone, and 
with them went humanity. Life was of little value. 
Wealth and power were in the hands of the few. 
There were kings and potentates and great landlords; 
but as for the people they were mere oxen, beasts of 
burden. Woman was at her worst. Wrong and 
selfishness ruled with a high hand. "The world 
before Christ," says Luthardt, " was a world without 
love. " Matthew Arnold portrays the moral decadence 
of the time in truthful words: — 

" On that hard Pagan world disgust 

And secret loathing fell; 
Deep weariness and sated lust 

Made human life a hell. 
In his cool hall, with haggard eyes, 

The noble Roman lay; 
He drove abroad in furious guise 

Along the Appian "Way; 
He made a feast, drank fierce and fast, 

And crowned his hair with flowers — 
No easier nor no quicker past 

The impracticable hours." 

3. But the days of Herod were days of expectancy. It 
had been prophesied, " The people that sit in dark- 
ness shall see a great light." The last of the old 
prophetic line, standing and waving his torch in the 
early twilight of this Egyptian night, had cried " The 
Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his 
wings." It is a true saying, "Man's extremity is 
God's opportunity." It is true also that the darkest 
hour is just before the dawn. The Messianic hope 
was abroad. Devout Jews like Simeon and Anna 
were waiting for the manifestation of the Hope of 



"IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING." 1 29 

Israel. Devout pagans like the Magi were watching 
the stars. Devout Greeks were speaking of the 
coming of Dikaios, the Just One. Virgil was writing 
his Ninth Eclogue. There were voices asking, 
" Watchman, what of the night ?" and through the 
darkness one great answering voice, from Seir, " The 
morning cometh!" 

God struck the hour. Two figures came face to 
face; Herod the Great and the Peasant Child. And 
a conflict then began which shall not cease until the 
coming of the Golden Age. Judged from the stand- 
point of human considerations, it must be an unequal 
contest. For Herod has on his side all power, all 
patronage, armies and fleets, the authority of im- 
perial Rome. And the Child? He seems as helpless 
as any babe that ever lay in a mother's arms. 

The first move is the slaughter of the innocents. 
Herod and this Child have crossed each other's paths, 
and the Child must die. We hear above all fright- 
ened cries and frenzied shrieks, the voice of Rachel 
weeping for her children and refusing to be com- 
forted. The flash of the swords of Herod's soldiery 
opens an interminable record of strife and persecution. 

Let us pass from that dismal scene in Bethlehem 
down the centuries, amid the confused noise of bat- 
tle, by the light of bonfires and auto-da-fes, to better 
days than those of Herod; to wit: 

II. The days of the militant Church. We are able 
from this standpoint to determine the results of the 
conflict thus far. It was Herod's intent, in the 
slaughter of the innocents, to nip the Messianic pro- 
mise in the bud. But there was one Peasant Child 
in Bethlehem whom all earth's armies could not slay. 



130 "IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING. 

He had come to accomplish a mighty work, and was 
immortal until that work was done. In vain do the 
kings of the earth set themselves in array against 
him. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh ; the 
Lord shall have them in derision! And now that 
nineteen hundred years have passed, it is evident 
that all the malignity of the Herodian influence has 
been as futile as the brandishing of a wooden sword. 
Call the roll: " Herod the king! " There is no voice 
nor answer, nor any that regardeth; in all the world 
there is none so poor to do him reverence. Now call, 
"Jesus the Christ!" and, lo! four hundred mil- 
lions rise up to call him blessed. 

There are three forces existent, universal and mag- 
nificently potent, which attest the progress of the 
great conflict. 

1. The Bible. This is the book of the Peasant 
Child. Take Him out and nothing remains of it. 
The Word Written shares the glory and the destiny of 
the Word Incarnate. The Herodian influence has 
ever been against it. Do you ask, "Why do men 
hate this Book ? " Tell me, why did Herod hate the 
Child of Bethlehem ? What has this book done ? 
Good and only good all the days of its life. Yet foes 
without and skeptics within have combined to de- 
stroy it. But all in vain. Bonfires cannot burn it. 
Hostile criticism recoils upon itself. The Word of 
the Lord endureth forever; the mouth of the Lord 
hath spoken it. This Bible is the book of the ages. 
It is not catalogued with other books: their editions 
are of thousands; its editions are of millions. It is 
the Book, by itself, solitary and alone, guarded 
through the ages under the aegis of God, 



"IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING. 131 

2. The Church. This is the great organism through 
which the Spirit of Christ is manifest and potent for 
the salvation of the world. The Herodian spirit has 
ever opposed it. In the catacombs, among the moun- 
tains of the Vaudois, on the plains of Armenia, every- 
where the slaughter of the innocents has gone on 
unceasingly ; but the blood of the martyrs has been 
the seed of the Church. 

Unshaken as the eternal hills, 

Immovable she stands; 
A mountain that shall fill the earth, 

An house not made with hands. 

3. The living and dominant Christ. He is the colossal 
figure of these days. His promise is fulfilled, Lo, I 
am with you alway, even unto the end of the present 
order of things. 

It was the custom of Ralph Waldo Emerson to 
speak of the Bible patronizingly, as one of many 
noble books, and of Christ as one of earth's noblest 
men. On one occasion, lecturing in Kingston, 
Ontario, he mentioned in succession a company of 
historic teachers, such as Plato and Epictetus, Con- 
fucius and Sakya Muni, and was proceeding, "I say 
then that the world reverences and will ever reverence 
Jesus and his peers " — when a voice from the further 
gallery cried, " He has no peers! My Master has no 
peers!" All eyes were turned that way. It was the 
voice of a young pastor named Ormiston, who later 
became minister of this Collegiate Church. He after- 
wards remarked that he was quite unconscious of 
what he was saying, being carried away by an uncon- 
trollable indignation. But never was a truer word ; 
"He has no peers! Our Master has no peers!" 



132 "IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING. 

Other great men come and go, but Jesus abides for- 
ever. Others play their part in history and vanish ; 
but he becomes more and more the central figure of 
the advancing centuries and the living promise of the 
Millennium. He was reckoned at the beginning as a 
root out of a dry ground, in whom there was no come- 
liness that men should desire him; he has become, in 
the logic of events, the chiefest among ten thousand, 
the one altogether lovely. His name is above every 
name that is named in heaven or on earth. 

But the end is not yet. The conflict goes on. The 
world is not saved. The Herodians are still arrayed 
against the followers of Christ. Nevertheless we are 
assured of the outcome. Let us pass on through an 
indefinite vista of the future and come to the end of 
human history, to wit: 

III. The days of the Son of Man. For he shall reign 
from the river unto the ends of the earth. The time 
is coming when no man shall need to say, "Know 
thou the Lord." For every man shall know him 
from the least to the greatest, and every knee shall 
bow before him. 

We judge from the analogy of the divine methods, 
that Christ's triumph could be by no sudden displace- 
ment of adverse power. His days do not come with 
a sunburst, but like every dawn, the sun shining 
brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. This 
supreme harvest comes not like manna, but like the 
ripening of all fruitful fields, — first the blade, then 
the ear, then the full corn in the ear. 

But the royal banners onward go. Two swords 
meet in the conflict; that of Herod drips with blood; 
the other is the sword of the Spirit which is the word 



"IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING. 133 

of God. And he has said, "My word shall not 
return unto me void, but shall accomplish that which 
I please and prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." 
Meanwhile the word for every Christian is, Lend 
a hand ! Fall in and lend a hand ! Ours is the priv- 
ilege of service by words in due season and by the 
power of a holy life. The logic of history is hope ; 
the logic of prophecy is faith. 

" For, lo, the days are hastening on 
By prophet bards foretold, 
Which through the ever-circling years 
Bring in the Age of Gold." 

At the close of our Civil War, when Admiral Du- 
pont was laboriously explaining why he had failed to 
get into Charleston harbor with his fleet of ironclads, 
he was interrupted by Farragut, who said, " But there 
is one reason which you have not given." "And 
what is that?" "You did not believe you could do 
it!" 

It cheers the heart and nerves the arm to feel as- 
sured that we who are enlisted with the Christ are 
bound to win. You may read the final triumph in the 
sure word of prophecy, you may see it in passing events 
as they are recorded in the daily press, you may hear 
it loud and clear in the chiming of the Christmas 
bells. Hearken how they say as they swing, "For 
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given : and the 
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name 
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty 
God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace !" 

The story of Herod shows the doom of the Herod- 
ian influence. All opposition to the Peasant Child 
must go for naught. Not more vain were it for a 



134 IN THE DAYS OF HEROD THE KING. 

scarabseus to plant itself against the progress of the 
armies of the Pharaohs, not more vain for a glow- 
worm to oppose the light of noonday, than for men 
whose breath is in their nostrils to oppose the tri- 
umphal progress of the Son of God. Lift up your 
eyes and see; all these gather themselves and come 
unto him ; the rams of Nebaioth, the dromedaries of 
Midian, the ships of Tarshish! The kings of the 
earth bring the glory and honor of the nations unto 
him. Fall in and lend a hand! The red cross ban- 
ner is advancing to the remotest corners of the earth. 
The Peasant Child has on his vesture and on his 
thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of 
Lords. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and 
his dominion is forever and ever. The days of Herod 
are gone; the days of the stern conflict are passing; 
we hail the days of the Son of Man. The Christmas 
lights, the chiming of the Christmas bells, the laugh- 
ter of the children in our homes, all hope and glad- 
ness are a prophecy of the Golden Age. 



THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 

A NEW-YEAR SERMON. 

14 And thus shall ye eat it ; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, 
and your staff in your hand." — Exod. 12, 11. 

At midnight on the 14th of Nisan, the children of 
Israel were assembled in their homes, awaiting the 
signal to march forth. They looked back over a 
dreary stretch of four hundred years of bitter 
bondage in Egypt. They had built Pithom and 
Raamses and, perhaps, the Pyramids. They had 
served under hard taskmasters with bastinado in 
hand. But the days of their slavery were over. 

An unknown future was before them. They were 
going forth to toils and dangers that they knew not. 
It was a herculean enterprise, this emeute of two 
million slaves. There is no corresponding event in 
history. It suggests a marvelous faith and courage 
on the part of these people. The thought of the 
divine intervention must have stimulated and sus- 
tained them. 

A man had been divinely sent from Midian to un- 
dertake for them. In the name of Jehovah he said, 
at the threshold of the palace, " Let my people go! " 
Then in quick succession came the river plagues, the 
insect plagues, the blight and murrain and darkness. 

(135) 



136 THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 

The last was to throw open the stubborn gates of 
Egypt, — this was the death of the firstborn. The 
people were assembled now, awe-struck and fearful, 
awaiting the midnight cry. 

We are at the border of the years. Sins, sorrows, 
disappointments and failures are behind us. We 
reach forth unto the things that are before. The 
future beckons. Are we ready ? 

I. The Passover. The Israelites began their jour- 
ney at the sacrificial altar. The Lord had commanded 
them to slay for each household a lamb, a firstling of 
the flock, without spot or blemish. Its blood was to 
be sprinkled upon the side posts and lintel of the 
door. "For," said the Lord, " I will pass through 
Egypt this night and smite the firstborn: and the 
blood shall be to you for a token upon the- houses 
where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass 
over you." The blood having thus been sprinkled 
upon the doors, the flesh of the sacrifice was spread 
upon the table and all partook of it. The ceremo- 
nial of that eventful night is immensely significant. 
The lamb symbolized the "Lamb slain from the 
foundation of the world"; as it is written, "Christ 
our passover is sacrificed for us." 

In the sprinkling of the blood there is a clear refer- 
ence to the redeeming power of the cross. The law 
declares, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." The 
life is in the blood. " Without the shedding of blood 
there is no remission. " The blood cleanseth. ' 'Come 
now, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, 
they shall be as white as snow; though they be red 
like crimson, they shall be as wool." If we are to 
enter upon the future as Passover Pilgrims, here is 



THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 1 37 

the right beginning : To apprehend by faith the 
power of the blood. 

The New Year Eve is observed throughout China 
in a general payment of debts. There is not an 
almond-eyed pagan on our little Doyer Street who 
would not consider himself disgraced if he could not 
enter the new year with a clean balance sheet. We 
stand as debtors before the law; duty is only 
another word for debt. Sin brings us into hopeless 
arrears. What shall we do ? Pass on into the future 
with an uncanceled score resting on us as an intoler- 
able burden? That is unnecessary: for the sufferings 
of Jesus are a ransom. Its benefits are appropriated 
by faith. "Jesus paid it all, all the debt I owe." 
The blood washes out the old reckoning, so that we 
pass into the future glad-hearted and hopeful, and 
ready, by God's grace, to meet whatever may con- 
front us. 

There is a deep significance also in the eating of the 
flesh. It shadows forth our vital appropriation of 
Christ himself. We partake of him as our soul's 
food, his life becoming assimilated with our life. We 
enter into fellowship with him in service, cross- 
bearing, self-denial; and if we thus suffer with him, 
we shall also reign together. He identified himself 
with us in the great sacrifice of Calvary; we must 
needs identify ourselves with him in the experiences 
of the Christian life. So it is written, " Except ye 
eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, 
ye have no life in you." 

The second book of the Pilgrim's Progress opens 
with a picture of a desolate home. Here sits Chris- 
tiana, sore-hearted and melancholy, her children 



138 THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 

gathered about her. A year ago her husband fled 
from the City of Destruction with his fingers in his 
ears, crying, "Life! Life! Eternal Life! " She re- 
fused to go; but now she wails, "Woe worth the 
day!" She would fain set forth, if she dared. "I 
also will be a pilgrim ! " she cries ; but fears and fore- 
bodings restrain her. There is a knock at the door. 
A messenger appears, saying, "Peace be to this 
house. The Merciful One has sent me to say that he 
is ready to forgive. " He places in her hands a letter, 
written in characters of gold and exhaling the rarest 
fragrance. It is an announcement of pardon, and an 
assurance of divine guidance to the gates of the 
Celestial City. Then Christiana said, "Come, my 
children, let us pack up and be gone! " She placed 
the letter in her bosom, and ever and anon, along the 
way, she took it out and read it. She learned it by 
heart, she taught it to her children. It was one of 
the songs of their pilgrimage, and at the last it was 
her passport at the shining gate. 

Our safety on the journey and our ultimate arrival 
are assured by accepting this proffered care and 
guidance of the Merciful One. The blood sprinkled 
on our hearts gives us the peace of pardon; and a 
vital apprehension of Christ as Saviour and Friend 
so links our destiny to his, that, as Rowland Hill used 
to say, " He can't go to heaven, and leave us behind." 

II. The Panoply. It was not enough, however, that 
the children of Israel should partake of the Pass- 
over; they were commanded to harness themselves 
for the journey. 

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, conceiving the 
Christian life to be a stern campaign, he prescribes a 



THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 1 39 

soldier's panoply: " Wherefore take unto you the 
whole armor of God, that ye may be able to with- 
stand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. 
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with 
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, 
and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel 
of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith where- 
with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of 
the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and 
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." 

Our present thought, however, is not that of war- 
fare, but of journeying. We are pilgrims and so- 
journers, looking for a better country and a city which 
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 
We require, therefore, a pilgrim's equipment; to wit, 
girdle, sandals and staff. 

1. The Girdle; that is, resolution. I do not say res- 
olutions. The beginning of the year is marked by a 
multiplicity of these. It is a true saying that hell is 
paved with them. Not because they are severally 
unwise, but because, like a bundle of fagots, they are 
sure to be torn asunder, ere the year is closed, and 
scattered broken along the way. 

You have been saying, "I will break off this or 
that evil habit; " or, "I will cut loose from certain 
pernicious associations;" or, "I will devote myself 
more scrupulously to business; " or, "I will do good 
as I have opportunity unto all men;" or, "I will be 
faithful in the discharge of my ecclesiastical duties. " 
So far, so good. But there is one resolution that 
covers all, namely, "I will be true to my covenant 
with Christ." To say this in all sincerity is to 
tighten one's girdle for the whole year. All things 



140 THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 

are possible, with God's grace, to the man of noble 
purpose. There is no better watchword than that of 
the old Saxon knight, " Will, God and I can! " 

2. The sandals. To be without the sandals means 
weariness and blistered feet, for we are to traverse 
desert sands. The shoes for our feet are the Bible 
and Prayer. Let not the dust accumulate on your 
Bible, my friend; let not the grass grow in the path- 
way to your trysting-place, if you would live an 
earnest, Christian life. 

Do you believe in the Bible? Are you sure? These 
are days when a man needs to question his soul in 
these premises. The air is full of pedantic assump- 
tions and ill-grounded reflections as to the veracity of 
the Book. It is quite the fashion among a certain 
class of callow thinkers to assume that the destruc- 
tive critics have carried their point. You will scarcely 
find a group of young people anywhere in which 
there are not some vociferous deniers of inspiration. 
It takes courage under such circumstances to say 
frankly, "I believe in the historic view of the iner- 
rancy of Holy Writ." A great majority of God's 
people the world over are of that mind ; but why do 
they not say so? 

The Bible must be the man of our counsel for the 
coming year. We shall make no mistake if we live 
by its precepts, profit by its admonitions and find our 
chiefest joy in its exceeding great and precious prom- 
ises. It will provide us with food for our spiritual 
hunger, medicine for sickness and ammunition for 
every battle. 

Then, pray without ceasing. Be instant in prayer. 
Begin the day with it; close the day with it; let all 



THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 14I 

the intervening hours be full of it. The great 
steamers that carry on our international commerce 
cannot stop at every port along the way; it is suffi- 
cient to lay to and send in the jolly-boat. So while 
engaged in our common pursuits, if we may not turn 
aside in every emergency to seek the trysting-place 
or fall upon our knees, we can always send up an 
ejaculatory petition to the throne of the heavenly 
grace. In any case, neglect not "the gift of the 
knees"; for 

" Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 
The Christian's native air ; 
His watchword at the gates of death, 
He enters Heaven with prayer." 

3. The Staff; that is, Faith. For whereon shall the 
Passover Pilgrim lean if not upon his faith in God? 

The Israelites were told at the outset that God 
would go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and 
of fire by night. But they must needs believe for a 
while without seeing. When they set out from 
Raamses and the other Egyptian cities there was no 
directing cloud above them. A brief journey of pos- 
sibly twenty-five miles brought them to Etham on 
the edge of the desert, and there behold ! the cloud 
appeared. 

No doubt there were some there who regarded it as 
nothing out of the common. " It looks like any 
cloud," they said; "have you seen a face, or has a 
voice proceeded from it ? " And when the sun went 
down and the cloud was tinged with fiery splendor 
they said, " Is it not like other clouds on which the 
glory of a brilliant sunset lingers ? How do you 



I42 THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 

know Jehovah is there ? " And how, indeed, could 
they know ? Only by faith. 

And as time passed their faith was strengthened ; 
for to him that hath shall be given. The cloud 
was over them by day, a pavilion from the scorching 
sun. It went before them on the march, an unerring 
guide along the appointed way. And when the 
enemy pursued, it went behind the pilgrim host 
and was as the blackness of darkness to their foes. 

It is only by faith that we apprehend the great ver- 
ities of the spiritual life. Faith is the substance of 
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 
We live by faith, we walk by faith; this is the victory 
that overcometh the world, even our faith. 

It is precisely at this point that believers are asked 
to meet the severest assault of the adversary in our 
time. A wave of infidelity is sweeping over the 
world and making itself felt even in some of our 
Theological Seminaries and Churches, which puts 
forth as its bold pronunciamento a denial of the 
supernatural. Call it Rationalism, Agnosticism, 
Transcendentalism, or whatever you will; the under- 
lying thought is invariably a denial of the super- 
natural. The proposal is to account for everything 
on natural grounds, and incidentally to reject all 
that cannot be tested by the physical senses. 

It aims a poisoned shaft at our faith in God. It 
asserts the Godhood of law, force, the impersonal 
essence, a thing without eyes to see, a heart to pity 
or hands to help. And indeed if faith be rejected and 
the testimony of the senses be regarded as the court 
of last appeal, there can be no personal God. 

It denies in like manner the nobility of man. It 



THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 143 

traces his ancestry to an anthropoid ape, basing the 
argument on a hypothesis inferred from a facial 
angle. It reduces brain to phosphorus and conscience 
to friction. It makes immortality a dream, leaving 
man to die like the beasts that perish; for, if the 
testimony of faith be denied, there is absolutely noth- 
ing to be said against the assertion that death ends all. 

It denies the divineness of Christ. We have recently 
heard a call from one of our Theological Seminaries 
for a "restatement of Christology. " An effort is 
made to explain away the supernatural in the holy 
nativity. The miracles of Christ are referred to 
optical illusion. The divine quality in the blood- 
atonement is treated as a fable. The resurrection of 
Jesus from the dead is an invention or an afterthought 
of his disciples. Thus is Christ derided in his own 
house. Those who call themselves after his name 
have crowned him with thorns, clothed him with 
ribald purple, placed an impotent reed in his hands, 
and kissed their hands before him, crying, "Hail, 
King of the Jews ! " 

This is the tendency of our time. The safeguard 
is faith. To say that we are only able to believe what 
lies within the circumscription of the physical senses, 
is to take our place among the lower orders. All 
around and above us there is a world of invisible 
verities. Our glory is to escape from the bondage of 
the senses, to dream dreams and see visions. The 
strength of our Christian character is measured by 
the power and constancy of our faith. It is the 
domination of the invisible in common life that 
measures our subjugation to the authority of Christ. 

Let us therefore be great believers. Let us cut 



144 THE PASSOVER PILGRIMS. 

loose from the sordid and sensual, and reach after 
the things which are unseen and eternal. We are too 
much disposed to ask, "How little can I believe and 
be saved? " As beings of two worlds, we should bring 
faith not to its minimum, but to its maximum. 
Credo is a great word. How much can I apprehend 
of the great body of truth? How sincerely can I 
say, "I believe " ? How far can I ascend out of the 
mists of the lower valleys of sordid and selfish living 
into the higher atmosphere of faith in the invisible 
and of confidence in the infinite God? 

The year is before us. Are we ready? Have we 
sprinkled the blood and partaken of the flesh of the 
Paschal Lamb. Are our loins girt with resolution ? 
Have we taken the Bible and prayer as our " pilgrim 
shoon"? Is the strong staff in our hand ? Then let Sir 
Walter Raleigh greet us quaintly with a parting word : 

" Give me my scallop-shell of quiet, 

My staff of faith to lean upon; 
My scrip of joy, immortal diet ; 

My bottle of salvation ; 
My gown of glory, hope's true gauge, 
And thus I take my pilgrimage ! " 



EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE. 

" I beseech Euodia and beseech Syntyche that they be of one mind in the 
Lord." Phil. 4 : 2. 

The Epistles are of great value, not only for their 
formulation of our Lord's teachings ; but for the 
light they throw upon the early life of the church. 
We learn from them that the primitive Christians 
were a singularly earnest, affectionate and simple 
folk. We catch, in the passage before us, a glimpse 
of their mutual relations. It is a dual biography in a 
nutshell; "I beseech Euodia, and beseech Syntyche, 
that they be of one mind in the Lord." These per- 
sons are nowhere else referred to. The outline is 
faint enough ; yet on thoughtful consideration it re- 
veals not a few interesting facts. 

I. — The persons here mentioned were women. They 
were members of the Philippian Church, which is 
often spoken of as a " Woman's Church." A pecul- 
iar interest attaches to its origin. Paul, while tarry- 
ing at Troas, on the border of the JEgean Sea, saw in 
a vision a man clad in Macedonian garb stretching 
out his hands and saying, " Come over and help us!" 
The apostle was not disobedient unto the vision, but 
immediately took ship for Europe and turned his 
steps forthwith to the Macedonian city of Philippi. 
On the morning of the Sabbath, he set out to find the 
man of his vision. By the river-side, in a place where 

(145) 



146 EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE. 

prayer was wont to be made, he found a company of 
women assembled, and to them he preached the un- 
searchable riches of Christ. The heart of Lydia the 
purple-seller was open to receive the truth. Thus 
the man of Paul's vision proved to be a woman; and 
this was the beginning of the Philippian Church. 

It is frequently said by way of criticism that two- 
thirds of the members of the entire Christian Church 
are of the gentler sex. The statement is true, and is 
to be partly accounted for, perhaps, by the fact that 
women, on account of their peculiar life and occupa- 
tion, have time to reflect upon the great problems of 
eternity. God pity the men, ever in the madding 
crowd, absorbed in secular affairs, who find so little 
leisure to consider the welfare of their immortal 
souls! But shall the fact referred to be regarded as 
a reflection on the character of the church ? Before 
we leap to that conclusion, let us yoke with it an- 
other fact, to wit: Seven-eighths of the inmates of our 
prisons and penitentiaries are men. A fair deduction 
from both these premises can place no discredit upon 
the church for her preponderance of female member- 
ship. Indeed it speaks eloquently for her thoughtful- 
ness and purity of character. 

II. — We are given to understand that Euodia and 
Syntyche were good women. There is much in a name. 
Euodia means " fragrance;" Syntyche means ''happi- 
ness." We are informed that they were "laborers 
in the gospel." It is probable that they were deacon- 
esses. In those days it was a fine custom to appoint 
women for the special care of the poor. In our for- 
eign missionary work we have found it necessary to 
revive that custom, in some measure, for zenana visit- 



EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE. 147 

ation. The homes of the Orient are open only to 
women visitors ; and the gospel can never be made 
effective until it reaches these penetralia; for home is 
the centre of social and civil life. 

We have a further intimation as to the character 
of Euodia and Syntyche in the statement that their 
names were written "in the book of life." This 
means more than good and regular standing in the 
Philippian Church ; it leaves no question as to their 
sincere and vital fellowship with Christ. 

III. — These good women were not of one mind. It 
would appear that their disagreement was generally 
known and deplored in the Philippian Church. 

No doubt it was a great occasion among the Chris- 
tians of this Macedonian city when Paul's letter was 
publicly read. It had been rumored among the peo- 
ple that such a letter had been received from the be- 
loved founder of the church, who was at that time a 
prisoner in Rome. And there was great anticipation. 
At the appointed hour on the Lord's Day all were 
present to hear it. A deep silence rested on the con- 
gregation as the reading proceeded ; but there was a 
rustle and a turning of faces at these words: " I be- 
seech Euodia and beseech Syntyche ', that they be of the same 
mind in the Lord." The two women, who probably sat 
as far apart as possible on that occasion, must have 
heard with tingling ears. It was fortunate for them that 
their flushed cheeks were hidden by their veils. But 
still more distressed and mortified would they have 
been, had they known that their names were to be 
handed down to posterity only in connection with 
their unfortunate estrangement. 

IV. — The quarrel was about a trifle. We infer 



148 EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE. 

this from the fact that Paul asked for no investiga- 
tion of their case. He did not advise that they be 
summoned before the official board. Indeed the 
whole affair would appear to have been much ado 
about nothing. It may have originated in a bit of 
gossip, a flash of temper, or an inadvertent word. 

Is it not true that most disagreements have a slight 
origin ? The Koran says that the first quarrel was 
between Adam and Eve soon after leaving Paradise, 
and began on this wise: Eve had somehow come into 
possession of a rude mirror; she looked and saw 
therein a woman who smiled at her in a supercilious 
manner, as if to say, *' You think yourself fair; but look 
on me. Ah, wait until Adam sees me! " And Eve, 
meeting her spouse, forthwith took him to task for it. 

We should find it difficult to account for most of 
our likes and dislikes. And as for our bitter disa- 
greements, it would be quite impossible to justify 
them. The best that can be said is, 

" I do not like thee, Dr. Fell, 
The reason why I cannot tell." 

V. — // would appear that both women were to blame. 
This may be inferred from their having an equal 
interest in the message: "I beseech Euodia and 
beseech Syntyche. " Had it been otherwise there 
might have been some uncertainty as to which should 
make the first advances. Being equally concerned in 
the disagreement, they should emulate each other in 
making peace. 

It takes two to make a quarrel. You must have 
flint and steel or you will get no spark. There is 
usually a quick temper on either side; the potency 
of fire in both steel and flint. And by the same token 



EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE. I49 

there should be no recrimination, but a mutual inter- 
est in reparation and peace. As a rule the less blame- 
worthy of the parties may be known by his greater 
readiness to make the amende honorable. 

VI. — The results of this quarrel were far-reaching : 
It has come down through nineteen hundred years. 
It casts a serious reflection on the character of the 
two women. It was a scandal in the Philippian 
Church and still remains as a reproach to it. " How 
far that little candle throws his beams! " 

The Thirty Years' War, with its terrific blood- 
shed and desolation, began in a frivolous disagree- 
ment at table. A marriage had been arranged be- 
tween the houses of Neuburg and Brandenburg. At 
the splendid espousal feast, the elector of Branden- 
burg threw a glass of wine into the face of his intend- 
ed son-in-law. The youth went away in high dud- 
geon, and offered his hand to the Princess of Bavaria. 
In pursuance of that union, an alliance was formed 
with the royal house of Spain, and presently Neu- 
burg and his army marched forth to engage in the 
long and bloody war. Nor is this a singular instance. 
The great events of history usually turn on small 
pivots; and not infrequently the destiny of kingdoms 
is determined by the agreements or disagreements of 
humble men. 

VII. — We do not know that Euodia and Syntyche 
were ever reconciled on earth. It goes without saying 
that they are friends now; for is it not written, 
" Their names are in the book of life "? During all 
these centuries they have been in the Father's house, 
where there are no quarrels, but all see face to face 
and eye to eye. 



150 EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE. 

The Scriptural mode of adjusting a disagreement is 
very clear. " If thy brother trespass against thee, go 
and tell him his fault between thee and him alone." 
Tell him. Tell him between thee and him alone. The 
trouble is that under such circumstances we are likely 
to tell everybody else rather than the one who has of- 
fended against us. The chasm is widened by thus 
blazoning the fault abroad. No whispering then be- 
hind your brother! There is a whole panorama of 
meanness in the word " backbiting." 

And again it is written, " If thou bring thy gift to 
the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother 
hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before 
the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to 
thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." If 
this were transcribed into our vernacular, it would 
read like this: "If you come to the sanctuary to wor- 
ship God and discover in your heart any hatred or 
resentment ; or if you are aware that any of the breth- 
ren has had occasion to regard you in an unfriendly 
way, be assured that your devotions will give no 
sweet savor before your Father in heaven until you 
have set yourself right with your fellow man." 

On one occasion Peter came to Jesus saying : 
" Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and 
I forgive him ? till seven times ? " It was a question 
of fine casuistry. The Rabbi Ben-Sira had said, "If 
thou hast a grudge against thy brother, forgive him 
twice before thou cherish it." No doubt Peter 
thought he was going far beyond such Jewish nar- 
rowness in suggesting "seven times.'' It probably 
did not occur to him that the placing of any limit 
whatever on the magnanimity of Christian character 



EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE. 151 

gives it a rank foreign savor of narrowness and exter- 
nalism. And Jesus answered, "I say not unto thee, 
Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven." 
That is, the world of mercy knows no horizons. 
There should be no more limit to our mutual forbear- 
ance than there is to the grace of God. 

The women who were parties to this Philippian 
quarrel are generic types. And the practical applica- 
tion is plain. I would not have it suspected that the 
occasion of the present discourse is any quarrel in 
the Collegiate Church; for it is a pleasure to say that 
in the years of my ministry I have never known a 
personal disagreement among you. However, it is 
greatly to be doubted if there is one here who has 
viewed this ancient quarrel as a mere "looker on in 
Venice." Have you no grudges, no hatreds nor jeal- 
ousies ? Is your heart all sweetness and light ? Are 
you kindly affectioned toward all ? Oh, let us open 
our souls to the influence of the heavenly Dove to- 
day! 

But this is not so easy as might appear. The 
patching up of a disagreement is not a matter for 
mere resolution. There must be personal explana- 
tion, concession, perhaps an apology. There is noth- 
ing harder than to say, " I beg your pardon;" but a 
man is at his best when he says it. This is what Mil- 
ton calls "the lowly loftiness of mind which is exalt- 
ed by its own humiliation." A knight's tombstone 
in England bears this inscription : 

" Here lies a soldier whom all must applaud, 
Who fought many battles at home and abroad; 
But the hottest engagement he ever was in, 
Was the conquest of self in the battle with sin." 



152 EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE. 

It would be difficult to find a man of sweeter spirit 
than John Wesley, if we may credit his biographers. 
And yet there was an occasion on which Joseph Brad- 
ford got the better of him. He had asked Bradford, 
his familiar friend, to carry a letter to the post. The 
reply was, " After service." ' 'Nay, now." "I will 
not, until I have heard thy discourse." "Then our 
friendship ceases." " Very well, so be it. " Wesley 
preached, and Bradford listened ; the benediction was 
pronounced; and both went home to toss upon un- 
easy beds. The next morning Bradford said, "John, 
must we part ?" '* It is for thee to say." " Wilt ask 
my pardon?" "Nay, never! never!" "Then I will 
ask thine; John, forgive me!" The ice was broken, 
and they were friends faithful until death. 

We who profess to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, 
cannot afford to endanger our inward peace, 
jeopardize our reputation and bring reproach on the 
goodly fellowship by falling out along the way. Oh, 
for the spirit of Nehemiah and those who labored to- 
gether with him! We, too, are temple-builders. Our 
work is too important, our life is too brief, for 
criminations and recriminations, for the bickerings of 
the sordid, selfish life. Let this be our word to the 
demons of enmity who thrust out the lip and point 
the finger at us from the plain of Ono, "I am do- 
ing a great work, so that I cannot come down!" 

Let it be remembered that we journey always on 
the narrow borders of the eternal world. If there are 
bitternesses to be healed or differences to compose, 
let us not wait until the shadows enfold us. I know 
of no more pathetic tale than that of the chronic 
quarrel of Commodores Barron and Decatur. They 



EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE. 153 

were both able officers who had served the United 
States faithfully. But year by year they nursed a 
petty disagreement until it found its dreadful con- 
summation in the duello. They met on the field, 
breathing out mutual hatred; and at the first report, 
both fell. Side by side they lay dying. "Let us 
make friends," said Barron, "ere we meet before the 
throne of God." "I never have been your enemy," 
replied Decatur, breathing heavily, "and freely for- 
give you my death." "Would to God that you had 
said as much yesterday. God bless thee, Decatur!" 
" God bless thee, my friend ! " 

Of all sad words of tongue or pen, 

The saddest are these, It might have been. \ 

I beseech you, brethren, by the cross of Jesus 
Christ that ye love one another with pure hearts fer- 
vently. I beseech you by the Golden Rule that ye 
expect no more of kindliness from your fellows than 
you willingly accord to them. I beseech you by the 
hope of heaven that ye entreat one another as chil- 
dren of the Father, for so it is written: "Ye be 
brethren; see that ye fall not out along the way" — 
"Be ye kindly affectioned one toward another; in 
honor preferring one another; forgiving one another 
as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. " 



THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 



Canst thou by searching find out God ? canst thou find out the Almighty 
unto perfection ? It is high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than 
hell; what canst thou know ? The measure thereof is longer than the 
earth, and broader than the sea."— Job n, 7-9. 



In all satirical literature there is nothing so fine as 
that paragraph in Isaiah's prophecy which pictures 
before us a carpenter measuring a god. He has 
brought a cedar log from the forest, of straight 
grain, knotless and of sound heart, " that will not 
rot." He stretches out his rule and marks it with a 
line, and makes it "according to the beauty of a 
man." He surveys it with speculation in his eyes; 
for this god must not be over-tall to pass under the 
lintel, nor over-broad to be carried between the side- 
posts. He projects the figure with compass and 
chalk-line; and, finding the log too long, cuts it in 
two. Then he hews it with an adze, and fashions it with 
a chisel. But, anon, the pangs of hunger are upon 
him; he gathers up the chips, kindles them, and 
therewith bakes his food. He stands before the fire, 
rubbing his hands and saying, "Aha ! I am warm." 
And having satisfied his hunger, he turns toward the 
half-carven image, the residue of the cedar log, and 
cries, " Deliver me, for thou art my god ! " 

(154) 



THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 155 

Let us attempt the impossible — the measurement 
of God. But not in this workshop ; the walls are too 
close, the air is too stifling. Let us go forth into the 
illimitable open, under the lofty canopy; for our God 
is a great God above all gods. 

I. As to his stature. How great is He ? Let us call 
Solomon to our help. In his prayer at the dedication 
of the temple he gave us this measurement: " Will 
God indeed dwell on the earth ? Behold, the heaven 
and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him." 
(I Kings, 8, 27.) 

Men have builded a niche for Jupiter, a pedestal 
for Thor, a shrine for Buddha. But God stretcheth 
out the heavens as a curtain, and he covereth himself 
with light as with a garment. Heaven is his throne, 
the earth is his footstool. The tapestries of his 
chamber are the glories of dawn and sunset. The 
walls of his temple recede infinitely as we gaze upon 
them. He dwelleth in light and glory unapproach- 
able and amid voices of adoration that are as the 
sound of many waters and mighty thunderings. 

" The Lord our God is full of might ; 

The winds obey his will. 
He speaks, and, in the heavenly height, 

The rolling sun stands still. 
His voice sublime is heard afar, 

In distant fields it dies ; 
He yokes the whirlwind to his car 

And sweeps the howling skies." 

The word that expresses the greatness of his per- 
sonality is omnipresence. " Whither shall I go from 
thy Spirit ? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there : If I make 



156 THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 

my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the 
wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost 
parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, 
and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, * Surely 
the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be 
light about me.' Yea, the darkness hideth not from 
thee : but the night shineth as the day : the darkness 
and the light are both alike to thee." 

II. As to his lifetime. Let us call Moses to aid us: 
" Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all gen- 
erations. Before the mountains were brought forth, 
or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, 
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." 
(Ps. 90, 1, 2.) Again we are in the region of great 
dimensions. From everlasting to everlasting ! He 
is the sempiternal One. 

" The days of our years are threescore years and 
ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore 
years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it 
is soon cut off and we fly away." " The days of the 
years of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty and 
nine years — and he died." And the gods of our 
handiwork are more ephemeral than we. The carven 
wood falls asunder of dry rot, and the graven statue 
crumbles into dust. But Jehovah is from everlasting 
to everlasting. Centuries come and go, but he abid- 
eth. Chaos and cosmos, principalities and powers; 
Egypt, Babylon, Rome; Caesar, Alexander, Napo- 
leon, — thrones, dynasties, great powers, — all are as 
spectres passing in a dream. "The cloud-capped 
towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, 
the great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit, shall 
dissolve; and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, 



THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 157 

leave not a rack behind." But God is the same, yes- 
terday, to-day and forever. He was before the be- 
ginning; and he shall be after the end. 

The word which expresses his lifetime is Eternity. 
His being transcends time. No pendulum swings — 
no hour hand moves along the dial. To him there is 
no yesterday, to-day, or to-morrow; there is no suc- 
cession of events. His life is Punctum stansj the ever- 
lasting now. 

Eternity with all its years 

Stands present to thy view: 
To thee there's nothing old appears, 

Great God, there's nothing new. 

. III. As to the measure of his mind. Here let us sum- 
mon Isaiah to assist us: "My thoughts are not your 
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the 
Lord ; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, 
so are my ways higher than your ways and my 
thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isa. 55, 8, 9.) 
Here again we are in the region of great dimensions. 
How high are the heavens above the earth ? Our 
largest visible neighbor is the sun; it is ninety-five 
millions of miles away. The Empire State Express 
would require a millennium to carry us there; and 
once at our destination we should see a shining orb 
so far distant that a cannon ball flying with the ra- 
pidity of light would require some hundreds of thou- 
sands of years to reach it. But this would only mark 
the nearer verge of the infinite concave of the heav- 
ens. And herein we find some slight expression of 
the infinitude of the mind of God. 

The measure of mind is thought. How little are 
our thoughts! Parturiunt monies; nascetur ridiculus 



158 THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 

mus. We reach our intellectual best and highest 
when, as Keppler says, "we are thinking God's 
thoughts after him. " There are three of his thoughts 
by which we may measure his mind: 

1. His thought of the world. He has declared his 
purpose to save it. A lesser one would have cast it 
away, in its rebellion, as a father disowns a wayward 
and incorrigible son. History is the demonstration 
of his great purpose. To us events are threads and 
thrums, so that, confused and bewildered, we wonder 
what the outcome will be. The problem is full of 
minor problems and equations, all working toward 
an ultimate quod erat demonstrandum. The key is Re- 
demption. The Flood, the Confusion of Tongues, 
the Jewish Dispersion, the Cross, the Great Commis- 
sion, Magna Charta, the Reformation, Waterloo, the 
rise and fall of kingdoms and dynasties, are minor 
equations. One great thought runs through them 
all, glorious, eternal, proceeding with calm continu- 
ity toward the great consummation, the Golden Age. 

2. Another of God's thoughts is concerning man. We 
have but a poor opinion of ourselves. In one of our 
favorite hymns we confess ourselves to be "worms 
of the dust." Those who move in scientific circles, 
while criticising this contemptuous expression, 
straightway proceed to prove themselves mere earth- 
worms ; born of bathybius ; coming up to their 
present estate through a procession of bestial ances- 
tors by the operation of such inevitable laws as natu- 
ral selection and survival of the fittest; their brain 
mere phosphorus; their reflections and moral convic- 
tions the result of atomic friction; creatures of cir- 
cumstance, bound for oblivion and a dusty grave. 



THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 159 

But God thinks better things of us. We are his chil- 
dren, made in his likeness and after his image, his 
breath in our nostrils, inheriting a glorious birthright, 
capable of magnificent accomplishments, with sublime 
possibilities before us, our destination eternal life. 
Again the key is Calvary. We live like denizens of 
the earth; but the divine purpose in Christ Jesus is 
to make us forever "kings and priests unto God." 

3. A?id then, the great thought of man s relation to the 
world. God might, perhaps, have lifted the earth 
back into its moral orbit by main strength. Or he 
might, in a great sunburst, have flooded it with light. 
But he said, " I will use men for its deliverance." 
We are his appointed agents in this blessed work. 
We strive together, in a goodly fellowship, by his ap- 
pointment and under the power of his Spirit, for the 
accomplishment of his purpose in the restitution of 
all things. "Go ye, evangelize!" Sinners are to 
save a sinful world. It is a great business to which 
we are called, and well calculated to stimulate all our 
noble energies and to develop to the uttermost all 
the possibilities within us. 

At this moment we are witnessing the effort of 
the Great Powers to dismember China. The "war 
lord " and his imperial rivals, with their brutal colo- 
nial policies, are hovering like highway robbers on 
the borders of the Celestial Empire, each intent upon 
securing a portion of its territory, with no more show 
of right than can be discovered in "the good old 
plan, that he may take who has the power, and he 
may keep who can." And God permits it. Do we 
wonder why ? " The kings of the earth do set them- 
selves, and the rulers take counsel together, saying, 



160 THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 

Let us break his bands asunder and cast away his 
cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall 
laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision." Who 
knows but that in the divine purpose the servants of 
God, working together in that great living organism 
which we call the Church, shall yet pursue the impe- 
rial robbers as they make off with this stolen terri- 
tory and, after the calm methods of a blessed evan- 
gelization, seize the plunder and bring it, a "Celes- 
tial Empire" indeed, to be laid triumphantly at the 
Redeemer's feet ? 

IV. As to the conscience of God. Why not ? It is true 
that metaphysicians, philosophers and theologians 
have made a strange omission here. Does not the 
moral faculty mark the highest dignity of man ? Are 
we not made after the divine likeness ? The moral 
sense is an inner vision by which we discern "be- 
tween the worse and better reason," and an index 
finger which always points us toward the right. God 
himself is the source and center of moral distinctions. 
It is proper then to speak of his conscience, although 
we may be unable to measure it. 

Let David help us at this juncture: "Thy right- 
eousness, O Lord, is like the great mountains; thy 
judgments are a great deep." (Psa. 36, 6,) And 
Paul also: "O the depth of the riches both of the 
wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable 
are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" 
(Rom. 11, 33.) Our conscience is like a rusted 
needle on the pivot of a mariner's compass; it sticks 
and creaks and trembles, in its effort to point north- 
ward. But God's righteousness is like the great 
mountains which are unmoved by the winds and 



THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. l6l 

tempests that sweep over them. It is like the mighty 
deep which keeps an unruffled calm beneath the 
storms that superficially trouble it. His court is a 
court of equity; he issues no misjudgments. "Shall 
not the Judge of all the earth do right ? " The scep- 
ter of the Lord is a right scepter; his ways are right; 
his judgments are right ; his statutes are right forever 
and ever. 

The word which expresses the divine conscience is 
Holiness. All heaven rings with the angelic tribute, 
"Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! " And the 
word which marks the highest attainment of human 
character is, Godliness; that is, God-likeness. To 
keep our moral decisions in line with the divine will, 
to determine all questions in casuistry by Revelation, 
to bring our conscience into such harmony with the 
divine conscience that our wills shall never cross his 
will, — this is to grow unto the full stature of a man. 

V. As to the heart of God. Here again the measure- 
ment is infinite. "As far as the east is from the west, 
so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." 
(Ps. 103, 12.) How far is the east from the west? 
Turn the prow of your vessel toward the setting sun, 
sail on forever and you shall never reach it. 

"For the love of God is broader 

Than the measure of man's mind; 
And the heart of the Eternal 
Is most wonderfully kind." 

It was the desire of David that his heart might be 
enlarged. But under the dominion of sin our capa- 
bilities are so limited that no man's heart is ever so 
great that his narrow breast cannot hold it. "Mag- 
nanimity " is a splendid word; but how trivial when 



1 62 THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 

compared with the love of the Infinite. This expresses 
itself in three progressive and cumulative words: 

The first is Pity. "Like as a father pitieth his 
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." 
At once we recall the picture of David staggering up 
the winding stairway to his chamber on the house 
top, crying, "O Absalom, my son, my son! Would 
God I had died for thee! " But pity of itself is help- 
less. Absalom was beyond the reach of his father's 
love. 

The second is Mercy. It is more than pity, for it 
has an eager hand. The picture that comes to us is 
that of the good Samaritan gazing with compassionate 
eyes on the wounded stranger, crossing over, and 
ministering to his need. But there is a point at 
which mercy is unavailing. The wounds of the way- 
laid traveler may be beyond all service of wine 
and oil. 

The third is Grace. It is more than pity with tear- 
ful eye; more than mercy with outstretched hand; it 
is an "arm made bare" — an omnipotent arm, bared 
for a mighty task. God's love finds its supreme 
expression in his grace as manifest on Calvary. It is 
his power to save. Here is the solution of the 
problem, " How can God be just and yet the justifier 
of the ungodly?" and of that other, "How shall a 
man be just with God?" 

To measure the heart of the Infinite, we must get 
the dimensions of the cross. We call it the "accursed 
tree." Rather, it is the tree of life; its roots deep as 
hell, its crown in heaven, its branches, laden with the 
fruits of life, reaching out to the uttermost parts of 
the earth. On the cross the only-begotten Son of 



THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 163 

God tasted death for every man. From the cross he 
offers redemption to the uttermost, not to respect- 
able sinners only, but to thieves, harlots and repro- 
bates. By the cross he saves utterly; nailing our 
indictment there, blotting out our sin, sinking it into 
the depths of an unfathomable sea, washing us, though 
stained as scarlet and crimson, until we are whiter 
than snow. This is the measure: " God so loved the 
world that he gave his only-begotten Son to suffer 
and die for it." That "so" is spelled with two let- 
ters, but it is vast enough to girdle the sin-stricken 
world and bind it back to God. 

I said at the outset we were to address ourselves to 
an impossible task. All the dimensions by which we 
have sought to measure God have been infinite. His 
person is so vast that the heaven and the heaven of 
heavens cannot contain it. His lifetime is so long 
that it stretches from everlasting to everlasting. His 
mind is so great that his thoughts are high above 
ours as the heavens are above the earth. His con- 
science is like the high mountains and the mighty 
deep. And his heart finds expression in the removal 
of our sins as far as the east is from the west. Verily, 
our God is a great God above all gods. No golden 
band can compass his brow, no girdle bind his loins, 
no measuring line be laid upon him. 

Our last word is a word of prayer. In Paul's letter 
to his Ephesian friends he desired them to form a 
just conception of the majesty of the God of Salva- 
tion as contrasted with that "Great Diana" under 
the walls of whose temple they dwelt. " For this 
cause," he says, " I bow my knees unto the Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in 



164 THE IMMEASURABLE GOD. 

heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, 
according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened 
with might by his Spirit in the inner man ; that Christ 
may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being 
rooted and grounded in love, may be able to compre- 
hend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, 
and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, 
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled 
with all the fulness of God." 

In this prayer he seems to be standing in a temple, 
vast and magnificent, whose walls forever recede as 
he gazes; above, below, on either hand stretching 
away inimitably. In view of this contemplation, how 
other gods dwindle and shrivel into naught. One 
alone remaineth ; infinite, eternal, unchangeable. 
Canst thou by searching find Him out unto perfec- 
tion ? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, 
and broader than the sea. He is a great God above 
all gods! 



HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. 

" By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word 
of God."— Heb. n, 3. 

The question of Origins is of universal interest. 
The child's bewildered eyes are asking, "Whence 
came I, and these things about me ? " And it is a 
problem for the wisest minds, as well. Napoleon 
on the deck of a frigate on the Mediterranean, over- 
hearing his marshals deny the personal God, pauses 
to point to the stars and ask, " But, gentlemen, 
whence came these ? " 

How shall we solve the query ? By sight ? Impos- 
sible. The facts lie beyond human cognizance. 
" Gird up now thy loins like a man," says God, out 
of the whirlwind ; " for I will require of thee, and an- 
swer thou me, Where wast thou when I laid the 
foundations of the earth ? " 

Or shall we rest on hearsay ? There is no lack of 
legends and traditions. Of making cosmogonies 
there is no end. The wise men of the past have wea- 
ried themselves in vain speculations; they have little 
to offer us. 

Let us inquire of the Greeks. Their philosophers 
should be able to help in this investigation if there is 
any appreciable value in mere human wisdom. The 

(165) 



1 66 HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. 

starting point in their cosmogony, as elucidated by 
Thales, is water. In process of time it is wrought 
upon by an all-pervading energy, as the body is ani- 
mated by the soul. Out of this energy proceed, in 
some inscrutable manner, all existing things. But 
there is no solution of the mystery here. The Gor- 
dian knot is cut ; but we are left still to ask, 
"Whence the primal element and the pervading 
essence ? " 

Let us turn, then, to the Babylonians. The start- 
ing point in their natural philosophy is darkness. 
Out of the darkness proceeds a race of monsters. 
The mighty Belus slays a giantess, of half her body 
he makes the heavens, of the other half the earth ; 
and, mixing her blood with the dust, he produces 
man. 

What have the Hindus to say ? They, too, begin 
with darkness. In the darkness is a golden egg; the 
egg breaks, and Brahma issues forth. He turns and 
makes of half the shell the heavens, of the other half 
the earth. Out of his own body proceed the various 
castes of men. 

The Scandinavians place the Origin of all things 
in a profound chasm, wherein a conflict is going on 
between Fire and Ice. Out of this conflict emerges a 
race of giants. Ymyr, mightiest among them, is 
slain: his flesh produces the earth; his bones, the 
mountains; his hair, the forests; his blood, the seas 
and rivers; his skull, the dome of heaven; and from 
his eyebrows is made a wall around the earth to 
prevent its inhabitants from falling off. 

And last, we inquire of the Egyptians. Their 
starting-point is a promiscuous pulp, from which the 



HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. 167 

elements separate of their own accord. The mass 
takes fire, and the upper portion warms the lower 
into life. From beneath creep forth the reptiles, and 
out of the rising smoke the winged creatures of the 
air. The ooze of the river-bed — not unlike the evo- 
lutionist's bathybius — furnishes the material for man. 

Such are the results of the efforts of human wis- 
dom to produce a rational cosmology. We shall 
probably agree that little or no information is to be 
derived from this source. We turn, therefore, from 
speculation to science. Our century has been marked 
by a continuous effort on the part of scientists to 
produce a rational theory of the universe; this effort 
being complicated, in some quarters, by an avowed 
purpose to eliminate God. The results are not en- 
couraging. The reason is plain; the scientific method 
is induction; it deals with facts and inferences. In 
this province there can be no hypothesis, for scire is 
" to know." The facts which stand as premises must 
be visible and tangible. The argument is that of 
cause and effect. But an origin is an entity without 
a visible cause; it is not to be accounted for by any 
operation of natural laws. The pure scientist has 
thus a necessary limitation, and frankly admits it. 
Science has its magnificent functions, but it cannot 
speak of origins with authority. It leaves unan- 
swered the great primal question, ' Whence came I, 
and these things about me ? " 

So there is nothing left but Revelation. Faith be- 
gins where science ends. It rests on divine author- 
ity. We turn, therefore, to the Mosaic account of 
the Creation. " By faith we understand that the 
worlds have been framed by the word of God." 



1 68 HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. 

But where did Moses get his information ? To say- 
that his record is a patchwork of current legends and 
traditions, is but to put the difficulty further back. 
The truth in cosmology, wherever found, must be 
by a direct revelation from God. But how ? The 
word "revelation," or unveiling, describes the proba- 
ble method. One may not speak dogmatically here; 
but there is force in the suggestion of Hugh Miller, 
that Moses received the divine communication in a 
series of panoramic visions. This is, indeed, after 
the analogy of the usual divine method. The seer, 
wrapped in an ecstatic trance, beholds a moving 
procession of events, broken by intervals of dark- 
ness, which are naturally characterized as night. 
Let us put ourselves in the dreamer's place and see 
what passed before him. 

On the first canvas is a portrayal of chaos; a molten 
ball enveloped in igneous vapors. There is a conflict 
between the inward fires and the cooling winds from 
the illimitable fields of space. The outer surface of 
the earth is congealed again and again, only to be 
ruptured by the inward heat and thrown up into 
vast ridges of granite, " like ice-floes in a polar sea." 
The rising vapors are condensed in torrents of rain 
that pour down on the earth's surface, to be thrown 
back like water striking a white-hot cylinder. It is 
a hopeless battle. The fires are worsted; the earth 
gradually cools. A film forms over the molten sea; 
the primeval forms of continents appear. At length 
the rains find a lodgment and the rivers race toward 
the lower levels forming the primal seas. All is 
darkness and turmoil; reverberating artillery of the 
heavens, with fierce flashes of electric fire; black 



HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. 169 

night and confusion worse confounded. Then a 
voice, "Let there be light !'" And light is born; 
not in an instant, for this is cosmic light. A glim- 
mer here and there reveals the unspeakable disorder 
of the frightful gloom ; the glow brightens more and 
more, as light glimmers through a London fog. — 
The scene shifts. There is an interval of silence and 
darkness. " The evening and the morning were the 
first day." 

In the second scene the clouds have lifted. The 
upper and the lower firmament are parted asunder; 
the outlines of continents and seas become plainly- 
visible. The great canopy has been lifted overhead, 
and between that and the earth beneath sweep tem- 
pests of corrosive gases. Of this period alone it is 
not written. "And the Lord said, It is very good." 
As yet the atmosphere can sustain no form of organic 
being. The world is getting ready for life. — The 
curtain falls. The evening and the morning were the 
second day. 

The third vision is of a great steaming greenhouse. 
From the sluggish waters springs a luxuriant vegeta- 
tion. This is the age of bulbous plants, of sigillaria, 
and lycopodia, of ferns springing aloft, like towering 
pines, growing in incredible luxuriance, rapidly de- 
caying, and falling upon one another until the steam- 
ing earth seems like avast tamarack swamp. It is the 
carboniferous age. Forces are being bottled up for 
coming time. — The eyes of the dreamer close. The 
evening and the morning were the third day. 

On the fourth canvas are seen glimmering points of 
light in the firmament above. Thus far there has been 
only cosmic light. The sun, moon and stars now ap- 



170 HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. 

pear in distinct outline; with them come the divisions 
of time. The pendulum begins to swing. The prepara- 
tion goes on for summer and winter and seed-time 
and harvest. The world is getting ready for history. 
-—The scene shifts. The evening and the morning 
were the fourth day. 

The fifth vision brings in the lower orders of animal 
life. The egg-bearers appear; reptiles and fishes and 
birds. Here are creatures with eye-sockets a foot in 
diameter. Here are birds that leave mighty foot- 
prints on the soft formative rocks; lizards thirty feet 
long are crawling in the slime. — And the evening and 
the morning were the fifth day. 

The sixth shows the mammals or higher forms of life. 
The earth is teeming with them, — beasts of the field 
and forest, of great rhinoceri and mastodons. There 
are ivory mines in Siberia which have been worked 
for a century and are still unexhausted. — And on this 
canvas, last of all, supreme and pre-eminent, appears 
man, having dominion over all living things, erect 
and sovereign, with face uplifted toward heaven and 
God; as it is written, "And God created man in his 
own image, in the image of God created he him." — 
And the evening and the morning were the sixth 
day. 

Then the Sabbath. God has entered into his rest. 
"In six days the Lord created the heavens and the 
earth, and rested the seventh day." He left this 
period of rest as a heritage to those whom he had 
created after his own likeness and for his own glory. 
Wherefore, it is written, "the Lord blessed the Sab- 
bath day and hallowed it." 

How imposing this record as compared with the 



HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. 171 

puerile and grotesque cosmogonies of the false re- 
ligions ! What simplicity ! What reasonableness ! 
What an absolute tone of certainty! It makes no 
appeal to those who reject the supernatural; but it 
rests as the ultimate and authoritative record for all 
those who believe in the unseen and eternal. By 
faith, and by faith alone, we understand that the 
worlds have been framed by the word of God. 

Our attention is called in this account to three stu- 
pendous facts; they are set forth in the words with 
which the Scripture opens, B'reshith, Elohim y Bara; 
that is, " In the beginning " "God" "Created." 

1. A beginning. There is no beginning in any other 
cosmology; there is always something inscrutable be- 
yond. For this reason there is a disposition among 
those who reject the Scriptural record to follow 
Plato in affirming the eternity of matter. This, how- 
ever, is but an ignominious surrender of the problem. 
In the Scriptures we are carried back beyond man, 
organic life, cosmos, chaos, matter, nebula, into 
silence and solitude. And here we face the Great 
Original. 

2. God. Back of the framing of the worlds, we con- 
front him, "Source of all being, throned afar." We 
have not reached a blank domain of vacuity or noth- 
ingness. We stand in the doorway of the King's 
audience-chamber, saying, " Before the mountains 
were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the 
earth and the world, even from everlasting to ever- 
lasting, thou art God ! " And from within there 
comes an answering voice, " I am that I am." 

3. Creation. The word Bara suggests the making 
of something out of nothing. Do you say, " Impos- 



I72 HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. 

sible ! "' Do you quote the venerable maxim, Ex 
nihilo nihil fit ? But how do we know ? All that we mean 
when we say that out of nothing nothing comes, is 
that we never saw it. In the nature of the case there 
can be no analogy. But let us not undertake to 
measure God by the rules of human life and action. 
All things are possible with God and nothing is too 
hard for him. We are like schoolboys in the play- 
ground, at recess, talking sagely about the infinite 
and indeterminable in loud, swelling words; the mas- 
ter comes, and what a scampering now ! Thus God 
appears, when we in our proud wisdom have said our 
utmost, and speaks: "Ye do err, not knowing the 
power of God. " 

We observe also in the Mosaic record of creation 
three points of striking coincidence with the announce- 
ments of true science. And indeed there can be 
no real discrepancy. The same God who wrote 
the Scriptures has left himself on record in the 
stone book of nature. They must agree, for they 
bear the same imprimatur. 

1. The creative day. "In six days the Lord made 
the heavens and the earth." But there are objectors 
who say: All research goes to prove that the periods 
of creation were of interminable length. The chalk 

o 

cliffs, for example, are a product of animal life, being 
composed of the shells of minute submarine crea- 
tures. It is calculated that it would require a hun- 
dred years to produce a layer of a single foot ; yet 
there are chalk cliffs on the coast of England a thou- 
sand feet deep, and beneath those cliffs are granite 
formations whose construction must have required 
some millions or perhaps billions of years. How 



HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. I 73 

then could the world have been framed in six solar 
days ? — But who said it was ? Certainly not Script- 
ure. Such an assertion is in direct contravention of 
the record. The Scriptures are not to be held re- 
sponsible for the statements of foolish expositors. 
The word used to indicate the creative day is Yom. 
The same is also used in Gen. ii, 4, to denote the en- 
tire creative week. It is used in Leviticus xxv, 29, to 
indicate the year of jubilee. It is used in Jeremiah 
xlvi, 21, with reference to the long campaign of Pha- 
raoh-Necho. It is used again in Ezekiel iii 7 3, of 
the millennium ; that is, the thousand years of the 
earthly reign of Christ. In Psalm ii, 7, it is made to 
cover all eternity. In these and other similar uses of 
the word we are given to understand that it means 
an indefinite period. We are not to think of God as 
a day laborer toiling between sunrise and sunset, and 
resting through the night. He makes no haste. He 
works through the illimitable ages by the calm pro- 
cesses of law. The eternal years are his. 

2. The order of the creative days. Here again is a 
marvelous coincidence. The fossils and footprints 
in the layers of the primeval rocks are precisely in the 
Mosaic order. This is their succession: chaos, with 
the beginning of cosmic light; the dividing of the 
firmaments; the appearing of vegetable life in the 
palaeozoic or carboniferous age; sun, moon and 
stars; the lower orders of life in the mesozoic age; 
the mammalia in the kainozoic age, with man as 
masterpiece and sovereign of all. We have spoken 
of this as a coincidence; is it not more ? How shall 
we account for the fact that Moses, at that early pe- 
riod and with his narrow opportunities of learning, 



174 H0W THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. - 

should have thus anticipated the results of nineteenth 
century science ? 

3. The creative act. Here faith assists and supple- 
ments science. For there are certain questions at 
which science halts bewildered as on the verge of im- 
passable gulfs; as here, — "Whence came matter?" 
Not a particle is man-made. We stand upon a ball 
of matter eight thousand miles in diameter, and no 
scientist has ever yet been able to produce an atom. 
And again, as to the beginning of life. Air and earth 
and water are teeming with it; yet no scientist can 
originate a bioplasmic cell, or animate a dead fly. 
Further still, as to the beginning of spirit, the divine 
part of man. A sculptor can make a statue, but can 
he give it a throbbing heart responsive to holy ap- 
peal, or cause it to articulate, " Our Father" ? And 
then, as to the universal evidences of design, the ad- 
justment of all things to their uses. To say that 
these are the result of law is no answer; for law is 
but blind energy if there be no Law-giver behind it. 

The choice is obviously between chance and God. 
Did the present order of things come by fortuitous 
circumstance or did it proceed from a creative and 
controlling Mind ? Let us see: There are sixty-one 
letters in our text. Suppose we take sixty-one leaden 
type, shake them together and cast them forth. Now 
calculate by the law of permutations and combina- 
tions how long it would require to produce by this 
method the words, " By faith we understand that the 
worlds were framed by the word of God." And how 
much more hopeless the problem becomes if we use 
as many letters as there are in the entire Scriptures. 
The period from the first glimmer of cosmic light to 



HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. I 75 

this moment, nay the vast aeons of eternity itself, 
cannot be shown to be long enough to produce the 
desired result. Or take as many atoms of matter as 
constitute our world, not to mention the innumerable 
worlds floating in infinite space, and cast them forth 
to the mercy of fortuitous circumstance, and see how 
long it would require to produce in this man- 
ner a world like ours; a world of vales and forests 
and mountains, or birds and beasts and men. The 
mere suggestion of such a possibility is grotesque. 
There is indeed no solution of this problem but God. 

It is pleasant, in this connection, to recall the tes- 
timony given by one of the most eminent scientists 
of our time, Professor Dana of Yale University. In 
his last interview with the Class of '67, he said, 
"Young men, let me say in parting with you, after 
our pleasant association in scientific study, that when 
you are puzzled and bewildered amid the conflicting 
views of human teachers, you can never go amiss if 
you will receive as your scientific ultimate the teach- 
ings of the Word of God." 

But what is the practical bearing of such a dis- 
course as this ? Much every way. We stand facing 
two sphinxes; the one asking, " Whence ? "the other, 
" Whither ? " When we find an answer to the ques- 
tion of origin, we are not far from the solution of the 
problem of destiny. The same God who created us 
is caring for us. 

I see two thrones: One is on the circle of the uni- 
verse, where he sits high and lifted up, with veiled 
face, calling into being things that are out of those 
that were not. The other is on Calvary. Here the 
face is unveiled ; the God of creation is the God of 



176 HOW THE WORLDS WERE FRAMED. 

salvation. Behold, he is "the Lamb slain from the 
foundation of the world." 

I hear two fiats: One is this, "In the beginning 
was the Word and the Word was with God and the 
Word was God ; all things were made by him, and 
without him was not anything made that was made." 
The other brings us face to face with the incarnation 
and redeeming love. "The Word was made flesh 
and dwelt among us." Here are two august presenta- 
tions of the Word of God, omnipotent on the one 
hand in the framing of the worlds, on the other in 
the salvation of the children of men. 

" ' Twas great to call a world from naught, 
' Tis greater to redeem." 

When Dr. Simeon of Cambridge was dying he said, 
" I find my comfort in the word that is written, ' In 
the beginning God created the heavens and the 
earth.' He who originally framed the earth, can 
uphold and will never forsake me." Paul comforted 
the Christians of Colosse in like manner when writ- 
ing to them of redemption through the Saviour's 
blood: " For by him were all things created that are 
in heaven and that are in the earth, visible and invis- 
ible, whether they be thrones or dominions or princi- 
palities or powers; all things were created by him and 
for him." Blessed be his name, who has thus joined 
together the remotest ends of history ! We look for 
our deliverance and ultimate triumph to One who 
has demonstrated that nothing is too hard for him. 
" For God who commanded the light to shine out of 
darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light 
of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus 
Christ." 



"AS A REFINER OF SILVER." 



"He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." — Mai. 3, 3. 

We are much given to asking, ''Does God send 
trouble ? " Why should he ? We are born to trouble 
as the sparks fly upward. The French say, "Adver- 
sity comes in on horseback, and goes off afoot." All 
faces bear the marks of the plowshare. There are 
wrinkles and crow's-feet, the restless eye, hairs pre- 
maturely gray. All things are touched with sadness. 
There is ever a fly in the ointment, a cloud before 
the sun, a chill in the air. Is this God's doing ? I 
do not believe it. By sin came all our woes. The 
order of the grim procession is : Sin, Death on the 
pale horse, and Hell following after with the mighty 
troop of human ills. 

Shall we say, then, that our troubles are retribu- 
tive ? That depends. If I thrust my hand through 
a tradesman's window, two things follow: one is the 
sentence of the court, the other is a wounded hand. 
I may, for some reason, escape the sentence; but my 
hand is bound to bleed. So, in the course of human 
experience, we violate two laws, and pass under a 
double sorrow: one of these laws is written on God's 
statute Book, to violate which is to pass under the 

(177) 



i7§ 

sentence of spiritual and eternal death ; the other is 
written in the constitution of our nature. 

We who believe in Jesus Christ have been delivered 
from all penalties; as it is written, "He hath 
blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that 
was against us and hath taken it out of the way, 
nailing it to his cross." In this sense, we are no 
longer under law, but under grace. Our Lord was 
wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our 
iniquities, in order that by his stripes we might be 
healed. He bore the penalty which was forensically 
due to us for violation of enacted law. But there are 
laws so interwoven with our being as to work auto- 
matically. If we violate them, we suffer the conse- 
quences here and now; and there is no escape. A 
man who breathes miasm will shake with an ague; 
and personal piety can not avert it. If he overeats, 
he must endure dyspeptic pangs, despite his faith in 
God. Such troubles are not the result of a forensic 
decree, and grace can not directly affect them. They 
are not penal, but consequential. In some measure 
they are due to heredity; in large measure also to 
personal folly. In either case they are inevitable, as 
being "ills that human flesh is heir to." 

But what is the relation of God to such sufferings 
as these? "He sitteth as a refiner of silver." He 
does not kindle the fire beneath the crucible, neither 
does he quench it. One of the poets says : 

" Pain's furnace heat within me quivers, 
God's breath upon the fire doth blow." 

But that is net true. God's breath does not fan the 
flame. Nor does his love quench it. He permits our 
sufferings; and he overrules them for our spiritual 



"AS A REFINER OF SILVER. 1 79 

and eternal wellbeing. Paul prayed thrice that the 
thorn in his flesh might be removed; the answer was, 
"My grace shall be sufficient for thee." 

But still the question recurs, "Why does God 
permit his children to suffer ? " It is not enough to 
refer the matter to his sovereign will. As Edward 
Payson lay on a bed of anguish, he was asked, " Do 
you see any reason for such a visitation as this ? " 
" No," he replied ; " but I am as well satisfied as if I 
saw a thousand ; the will of my Father is reason 
enough." No doubt this should satisfy us, but 
somehow it does not. It has a hard, metallic ring. 
To say, " It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him 
good"; or, "Who art thou that repliest against 
God ? " is cold comfort. Our faith is not large 
enough to rest on such assurances. We want to 
know more; and, happily for our peace of mind, God 
stoops to reason with us. He makes quite clear the 
wholesome ministry of pain. 

14 Though losses and crosses be lessons right severe, 
There's wit there, ye'll get there, ye'll find nae itherwhere." 

I. Our troubles are divinely permitted in order that we 
may be weaned from the world. We are constantly in 
danger of forgetting that we are not citizens of this 
world, but only pilgrims through it. " We look for 
a better country, even an heavenly, and for a city 
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is 
God." But we incline to set our hearts upon the 
present life, and waste our energies on things that 
perish with the using. Our Father means that we 
shall not build houses here, but only tents to sojourn 
in. 



i8o 

His purpose is set forth beautifully in the parable 
of the eagle's nest. It was addressed to the children 
of Israel in their wanderings: "As an eagle stirreth 
up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth 
abroad her wings, taketh them and beareth them on 
her wings," so have I dealt with you. It is time for 
the eaglets to fly, but they will not. They are content 
in downy ease. Wherefore the mother-bird must 
needs disturb the nest; she breaks off twig by twig; 
she fluttereth overhead, chirping and calling upon 
her brood, in vain. Again she breaks off twig by 
twig, until the nest is wholly wrecked, and the 
fledgelings must fly or fall. Then she "fluttereth 
over them," and as their strength fails, she darts be- 
neath and bears them up; then casts them forth 
again, and anon darts beneath, until at length they 
learn to fly. 

The Jews dwelt in the land of Goshen as in a 
downy nest. They tilled their fields and multiplied 
their flocks; they were prosperous and, alas! content. 
Then the iron entered into their souls. The task- 
master came with his whip of scorpions and drove 
them into the brickyards. God saw him coming and 
allowed him to come. He meant his people not for 
the land of Goshen, but for another that flowed with 
milk and honey. The nest was thus broken up; the 
Jews, weary of the bitter bondage and unrequited 
toil of Egypt, were glad to journey toward the Land 
of Promise. 

Did you make for yourself, my friend, a nest in 
prosperity? And were your earthly props and com- 
forts taken away ? Did there come a crash when 
3^our nest fell asunder ? Did it seem as if God looked 



"AS A REFINER OF SILVER. iSl 

on, refusing to prevent it ? Then, the world losing 
somewhat of its charm, you began to sing, 

" Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings 
Thy better portion trace. 
Rise from transitory things, 
Toward heaven, thy native place!" 

II. We are allowed to suffer in order that we may seek 
the oracles. This is what David meant when he said, 
" It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I 
might learn thy statutes; " and again, "Before I was 
afflicted, I went astray ; but now have I kept thy 
word." 

In our ferry boats there are placards directing 
attention to "Life-preservers under the Seats." You 
have seen the life-preservers there, unused and dusty. 
You have made a mental analysis, saying, " Cork and 
canvas." You have wondered as to the proper 
adjustment of the bands. But let an alarm of fire 
be heard, and you will learn more in a minute about 
life-preservers than you would in a thousand peaceful 
and contemplative trips across the ferry. So is it 
with the exceeding great and precious promises of 
Scripture. One-third of the Book has to do more 
or less directly with the rationale of trouble. But 
what are these promises to such as have never known 
adversity ? In the scorching sun we flee to the shel- 
ter of the great rock. When the tribes of the desert 
are upon us, we run into the fortress. Safe in the 
midst of danger, we say, "God is our refuge and 
strength; therefore, will we not fear, though the 
earth be removed and the mountains be cast into the 
midst of the sea." Let me put you in remembrance 
of the afflictions which have made precious such 



182 

divine assurances as these: "Come unto me all ye 
that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you 
rest; " " He shall deliver thee in six troubles, yea in 
seven there shall no evil touch thee;" "He is a 
strength to the poor and to the needy in his distress, 
a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, 
when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm 
against the wall." 

III. The sorrows which we are divinely permitted to 
endure are great character-builders. 

"Affliction is the good man's shining scene ; 
Prosperity conceals his brightest ray ; 
As night to stars, woe luster gives to man." 

The two pillars on which character rests are Faith 
in Christ as the Son of God, and Fellowship with Christ 
as the Son of Man. We learn in adversity to trust 
Him as the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother. 
It is a familiar saying that no friend is worthy of full 
confidence until we have summered and wintered 
with him. We have summered with Christ on the 
slopes of Olivet, in the Mount of Transfiguration, in 
the upper room. But we have not fully made his 
acquaintance unless we have also wintered with him 
in the judgment-hall, at the olive press and on Gol- 
gotha. So are we enabled to say, "I know whom I 
have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to 
keep that which I have committed unto him against 
that day." 

Thus also do we enter into fellowship with Jesus as 
the Son of Man ; for we know that if we suffer with him 
we shall also be glorified with him. He was a Man 
of sorrows and acquainted with griefs. He goes 
before us through the wilderness of pain, like the 



"as a refiner of silver." 183 

pioneer in virgin forests, who breaks the twigs 
as he advances to mark the way for those coming 
after. As we follow in his steps, — footsteps marked 
with blood, — we enter into sympathy with Christ, and 
find a new significance in his word, "I will never 
leave thee nor forsake thee." 

The truest beauty is the beauty of character; and 
the chiseling of pain completes it. There are faces 
that have a singular charm, not because of fair com- 
plexion or regular features, but by reason of an 
extraordinary light and sweetness that speak of per- 
fection through suffering. This is indeed a reflection 
of that divine-human Face in which God revealed 
the beauty of his love. 

And thus, finally, our sorrows bring heaven near. It 
is not unusual to hear it said, "This world is good 
enough for me." But indeed this world is not good 
enough for any child of God. 

We are not fit for heaven until we have learned to 
long for it. Blessed are the homesick, for they 
shall inherit the Father's house. There are some of 
our most familiar hymns to which affliction only can 
attune our voices; such as 

O mother dear, Jerusalem ! 

When shall I come to thee ? 
When shall my sorrows have an end ? 

Thy joys, when shall I see ! 
Thy walls are made of precious stone, 

Thy bulwarks diamond-square, 
Thy gates are all of orient pearl — 

God, if I were there ! 

I know a dear lady of above fourscore years, whose 
voice quavers and trembles as she sings her favorite 



::_ "A: A REFINER 17 SILVER 

hymn — an aid-time hymn, precious to me from my 
cradle-days — a hymn that mellows with the remem- 
brance :: Baca and sweetens as the sing-rr r.ears the 
h : rder-land : — 

aen shall I ;ee Jesus and reign with Him above, 

T: brink we hh"^"ing wnnwin ::' never-ending ! 

7: see the ss.:n:s in srwry. ~- r -~- : ~e =-ngel = =:aai :r;::::~r 

And we angels stand rewicing. :: —el:: me :rarelers h:me 

r e have reviewed scute :: the uses :: adversity; 
enough, I trust. :: satisfy "is that Gee means kindly. 
There is nc chance in :ur affliction, nor is there any 
stern iecree. God saw the prodigal as he went ver 
the hills tc the tar country. He saw him there wast- 
ing his substance in riotous Living. He saw him 
going lown step by step, through lawless pleasure t 
z zverty and shame. He saw him putting off his fine 
raiment, donning a smock-frock and going into the 
fields to feed swine. He saw the here ::" aarkress 
lashing him at every see until he reached the bot- 
tom. Are he permitted it. He permitted it. because 
he knew that, sitting there in rars and hunger, the 
man's "tetter nature ~ h ! iwake, and that in his 
snente and anguish he would cry. ' ' I will arise and 
gc ante my father! 

Ah. this is a share plowshare; but what matters 
that, if tne harvest be sure ? It is a hitter medicine, 
but. blessed be G-od it hearth shall ::nte of it ! It is 
a herte hre. burning tinier the furnace, but behold 
how the Rehner watches the cruci'cle. with what 
jealous Love art! tare, until he sees his face reheeted 
from the silver. 

So, beloved, all is right. God knows what is best. 
We live forever, ant. aur probationary years in this 



"as a refiner of silver." 185 

world are divinely adjusted and adapted to our 
deepest need. A great infidel has said, " Had I been 
intrusted with the making of a world, I could have 
made a better one. " No doubt. And there are five hun- 
dred men in Sing Sing who feel the same way. Indeed, 
if this world were a rounded whole, we may well 
conceive how it might have been a better one. But 
our present life is only a handbreadth ; death does 
not end all. We are getting ready for eternity, for 
our Father's house. 

" Blest be the sorrow, kind the storm, 
That drives us nearer home ! " 

One word more: All depends on our way of bearing 
sorrow; as it is written, " No affliction for the present 
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, it 
worketh the peaceable fruits of righteousness to 
them that are exercised thereby"; that is, to those 
who are wise enough to profit by it. Lord Byron 
had a clubfoot, and it embittered his life. Walter 
Scott had a clubfoot also; but it sweetened his whole 
nature, so that all men love Sir Walter. The Lord 
help us to bear our afflictions in the right spirit, 
mindful of his great kindness in permitting and 
overruling them. It is not enough to say, "I will be 
patient and submit." Nay; let us be joyfully acqui- 
escent. Let us catch the spirit of Paul when he cried, 
" We glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation 
worketh patience, and patience experience, and expe- 
rience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because 
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the 
Holy Ghost which is given unto us." 

The time is coming when God's providence will 
be made clear. "The bud may have a bitter taste, 



i86 "as a refiner of silver." 

but sweet will be the flower." What we call troubles 
are mercies in disguise. We suffer for a little time, 
that we may reign forever. The day is not far dis- 
tant when we shall know the full significance of 
those words: " Our light affliction, which is but for 
a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory;" and when, looking back 
over all the checkered experience of our wilderness 
journey, we shall strike the harp and sing with cor- 
dial joy and gratitude: " I reckon that the sufferings 
now past and gone are not worthy to be compared 
with the glory which is now and forevermore re- 
vealed in us!" 



ONE RELIGION ; ALL OTHERS FALSE. 

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved? " — Acts 16, 30. 

The deep longing of the universal heart was here 
voiced by the Philippian jailer. It took an earth- 
quake to shake it out of him. Many of us are dis- 
posed to repress it; but all are sensible of sin. All 
feel the justice of the sentence, "The soul that sin- 
neth, it shall die." All have learned from experience 
the utter futility of self-deliverance. So it happens 
that, deep down in every breast, the question throbs 
for utterance, "What shall I do to be saved ? " 

And here enters religion. The word is from re- 
/igare, to bind back. The business of a religion is to 
restore the alienated soul to its original relation with 
God. The test of all religions, therefore, true and 
false alike, is this question, "What must I do to be 
saved ? " We hear it said that one religion is as 
good as another if only there be absolute sincerity. 
To speak thus betrays a lack of comprehension 
of the problem. This will appear in a candid 
survey of the great systems which have come into 
contact with the one true religion ; the touchstone of 
comparison being the question of personal salvation. 
We need have no misgivings as to the result. The 
gospel of Jesus Christ does not shrink from the closest 

(187) 



1 88 one religion; all others false. 

and most searching scrutiny and comparison with 
other religious systems. It proposes to save sinners 
from the shame, the bondage and the penalty of their 
sin; and herein, as we shall discover, it stands solitary 
and alone. It is the one religion ; all others are false. 
That is to say, the ethnic religions are man-made; 
Christianity alone is from God. 

1. We begin with the Religion of Egypt, the oldest of 
all. Our knowledge of it is chiefly derived from the 
papyrus and byssus bands which are unrolled from 
the mummies. We are enabled thus to form a 
somewhat clear conception of the sacred book known 
as " The Book of the Dead." 

i. The god of this religion was Ammon-Ra; that 
is, the sun, as center and source of life. He is repre- 
sented as a hawk-headed man, his forehead encircled 
with the solar disk. He was worshiped by the priests 
in "mysteries," but to the people all forms of life 
were objects of devotion. The ibis, the crocodile, the 
scarabaeus, the lizard and the snake, — all these were 
worshiped as proceeding from Ammon-Ra, the mys- 
tic Origin of Life. 

2. The Egyptians believed in immortality. They 
carved upon their mummy crypts the image of the 
Phcenix rising from its ashes, and the lotus flower 
opening with the early sun. The dead were embalmed 
in the hope that, in the fulness of time, Ammon-Ra 
would revive them. The coffin itself was called 
"The chest of life." 

3. They also believed in a final judgment. On 
many of their tombs the god Anubis is represented 
with balances in hand ; a human heart in one scale, a 
feather in the other. Alas! the heart is lighter than 



one religion; all others false. 189 

a feather! The teaching of the " Book of the Dead " 
is as clear with respect to final retribution as that of 
our own Scriptures: "We must all appear before the 
judgment seat of God, that every one may receive 
according to that he hath done, whether it be good 
or bad." 

But what has the religion of Egypt to say in 
answer to the crucial question, "What shall I do to 
be saved? " The only preparation for judgment was 
obedience to the Maat, or rule of right living. It 
cannot be determined with precision what were the 
precepts in this elaborate code. This, however, is 
clear : In case of failure to obey the Maat, 
there was no remedy. It is this that stamps the 
Egyptian system as "the religion of despair." It 
contains no suggestion of forgiveness. Thus, while 
the Egyptians were the most mirthful people on earth, 
they were the saddest of worshipers. It is written, 
"They offered tears upon the altars of their gods." 
An illustrious lady, the wife of Pasherenptah, is 
represented as thus addressing her husband from the 
grave: "O my beloved, forbear not to eat and drink 
and drain the cup of pleasure while you live; for here 
is the land of slumber and darkness. We weep for 
the pleasures that have passed by." 

II. The religion of the Greeks. They were, as Paul 
said, " exceedingly devout. " In their pantheon we 
observe the exaltation of Nature. Zeus, the All- 
father, was the deification of aether. He reigned on 
the heights of Olympus; the lightning was the flash 
of his eye; and with his javelin, the thunderbolt, he 
hurled his foes down the mountain side. The mi- 
nor gods and goddesses, who assembled about him, 



190 ONE religion; all others false. 

were personifications of natural forces. Apollo curbed 
"the fierce, flame-breathing steeds of day." Athene 
was the spirit of the morning, rising from the brow 
of the sky. A god was here for every river, a nymph 
for every brooklet. Troops of sirens came from the 
mossy clefts, and Oreads from the hills to claim their 
tribute of devotion; while dryads brought with them 
oracular secrets from the rustling oaks. It was a 
beautiful system, and should have been quite satis- 
factory and ultimate if it were possible for natural 
theology to satisfy the cravings of the immortal soul. 

But the Greek deities, though made after a large 
pattern and endowed with extraordinary gifts, were 
only mortals projected on the skies. In their Olymp- 
ian life they ate and drank, made war and love, quar- 
reled and sinned, reveled and slept. Hermes was a 
thief ; Aphrodite, a drab ; Athene, an adept at billings- 
gate; Hera, no better than she ought to be; and 
Zeus, their worthy sire, a base deceiver who ofttimes 
drank too deeply of the mirth-inspiring nectar and 
was faithless to his wife, whom he " hungup in mid- 
heaven with anvils tied to her heels." 

The festivals in honor of these gods were a mag- 
nificent display of utter sensual abandon. There were 
dances, tourneys, athletic sports, processions and 
chariot races. There were dramatic representations 
of the adventures of the Olympian gods in which 
lewd dancers, flushed with wine, ministered to tb* 
basest passions of men. 

The failure of such a religion was a mere question 
of time. Doubt and inquiry arose. Lucian and the 
other satirists began to write ruthlessly against the 
gods. On went the unmasking of the tricksters. 



one religion; all others false. 191 

The shrines were abandoned ; the altar-fires were ex- 
tinguished ; and from the deep recesses of the forests 
the winds came wailing, " Eleleu / Eleleu! — Great 
Pan is dead!" 

Then came the philosophers, lovers of wisdom. 
They were the protestants of their time, who fear- 
lessly approached the stalking ghosts and spectres 
of the national religion and laughed them out of 
court. Plato founded the Academy and discoursed 
on virtue as the most desirable thing. Epicurus in 
his Garden exalted the emotions above the intellect; 
leaving to posterity the strange maxim, " Let us eat 
and drink, for to-morrow we die." Zeno, in his 
Painted Porch, founded the school of the Stoics; 
making expediency the highest rule of action. The 
Cynics, led by Diogenes, taught a philosophy steeped 
in gall. The Skeptics glorified doubt; they were the 
ancestors of our modern Agnostics, their chief dictum 
being, "We assert nothing; no, not even that we 
assert nothing." The Peripatetics, with Aristotle as 
their illustrious tutor, originated the inductive method 
of reasoning; and, drifting into practical material- 
ism, rejected as unsubstantial all the great verities of 
the eternal life. 

It will be observed that the philosophers failed, as 
utterly as the priests, to answer the great question, 
" What shall I do to be saved ? " The earnest youths 
who walked amid the plane trees by the Ilissus had 
much to say of the Cardinal Virtues and the sym- 
metry of a noble life; but they suggested no escape 
from the mislived past and left the doorway of the 
tomb shrouded in unbroken night. Socrates, the 
noblest of them all, with the fatal hemlock at his 



I92 ONE RELIGION; ALL OTHERS FALSE. 

lips, could only say, " I take comfort in the hope 
that something may remain of man after his death." 
The priests and the philosophers gave no real com- 
fort or positive assurance to those who longed for the 
endless life. Ixion was left bound to the wheel. The 
vultures still gnawed at the vitals of Prometheus, the 
prisoner of death and despair. Tantalus still abode 
in hell with the ever -receding waters close to his 
thirsty lips. 

III. Brah7nanism. An army of pilgrims coming from 
the great table-lands of the Caspian — so long ago that 
in our endeavor to trace them we lose ourselves in pre- 
historic mists — crossed the Hindu-Kush Mountains 
and took forcible possession of the banks of the Indus, 
announcing themselves as the superior race. In order 
to sustain this assumption, they invented the fable of 
Brahm issuing from the primeval egg, and creating 
from his head the Brahmans; from his breast the 
soldiers; from his loins the merchants; and from his 
feet the laboring class. Here was the beginning of 
that iron-banded system of caste which has prevailed 
in India for thirty centuries, crushing its best ener- 
gies like the mountain resting on Typhon's heart. 

The sacred book of the Brahmans is the Rig-Veda. 
As to its character we may safely accept the judg- 
ment of Max Muller, who apologizes for the deficien- 
cies of his own translation by saying, that a complete 
rendering would have made him liable to prosecution 
under the English law against the publication of 
obscene literature. The three fundamental doctrines 
of the Veda are as follows : 

1. Brahm, the inconceivable One. He is so far 
removed from all human understanding that " it can- 



ALL OTHERS FALSE. 193 

not be asserted that he is known nor yet that he is 
unknown." 

2. Maya, or illusion. Nothing really exists except 
Brahm. Men are merely sparks from the central fire, 
separated for a time, to be absorbed at last. Our life 
with all its varied experiences is but "an illusory 
phantom such as a conjurer calls up." 

3. Apavarga, the supreme good. This is to lose 
self-consciousness, in being finally merged into the 
ineffable One. The soul is like a drop of water, 
exhaled by the sun, floating for a time in vapor, at 
length falling into the sea. 

What, then, shall the Brahman do to be saved ? His 
only salvation is extinction. This is to be reached 
"by faith"; that is, by an unreserved yielding up of 
self to the contemplation of Brahm. If you would 
find a Hindu saint, search for him by the roadside. 
You will find him there crouching upon his knees, 
naked, with hair uncombed, the Vedas before him. 
His body is smeared with ashes and dung. His 
countenance wears a look of utter stupidity. He is 
intently contemplating one of his long finger-nails. 
This is "the twice-born Yogi," the consummate 
fruit of Brahmanism. And this is the answer the 
Vedas give to the question, "What shall I do to be 
saved ? " The twice-born Yogi is losing himself in 
the Soul of the Universe. He has no longer any con- 
sciousness of guilt, no passion nor appetite. He 
moves not, speaks not, except when, with a spiritual 
pride which would be grotesque were it not so un- 
speakably pathetic, he lifts his dreamy eyes, and 
mutters, "lam God ! I am God ! " 

IV. Buddhism. A child was born about 500 B.C. 



194 0NE religion; all others false. 

in the royal city of Oude, who, as the oracles say, 
was destined for great things. At the moment of his 
birth he walked three paces and in a voice like thun- 
der proclaimed himself the Fulfillment of Hope. The 
air was instantly filled with perfume, songs were 
heard in the distance, and lotus flowers dropped 
from the sky. The life of this wonderful child was 
thenceforth a continuous tale of marvels, until at 
length, in early manhood, he found himself under 
the sacred uo-tree. While meditating there, the 
great truth — which indeed no living man can define 
— came to him like a sunburst; and he went forth to 
work Deliverance. At Benares he gathered a com- 
pany of disciples about him, and, with their aid, 
compiled the sacred book known as Tripitika, or 
"The Three Baskets." It contains an amount of 
literature almost bewildering — about three hundred 
volumes folio. It is chiefly devoted to the importance 
of self-culture, or the development of the intellectual 
as distinguished from the carnal life. Its three fun- 
damental doctrines are as follows : 

i. Buddh; that is, the all-pervading Mind. 

" An immense solitary Spectre stands, 
It hath no shape, it hath no sound, 
It hath no place, it hath no time. 
It is, and was, and will be ; 
It is never more nor less, nor glad, nor sad; 
Its name is Nothingness. 

Power walketh high, and Misery doth crawl, 
And the clepsydron drips, 
And the sands fall down in the hour-glass ; 
Men live and strive, regret, forget, 
And love, and hate, and know it. 
The Spectre saith, 'I wait!' 



one religion; all others false. 195 

And at the last it beckons, and they pass ; 
And still the red sands fall within the glass, 
And still the water-clock doth drip and weep ; 
And that is all !" 

The God of the Buddhists is indeed a specter; he has 
no eyes to see, no heart to pity, no arms to save. He 
is represented as sitting aloft in an imperturbable 
calm, unmoved by the pain and struggle of mankind 
— an inactive, impersonal, valueless ghost of a god. 

2. Karma, or the Law of Consequences. As a man 
soweth, so shall he also reap. There is no escape. 
There is no pardon, no averting the doom. The law 
is automatic, administering itself; constant as one's 
shadow. 

The mills grind slow, 
But they grind woe. 

3. Nirvana. This is the Buddhist's only heaven. 
It is defined as "the harbor of never-ending rest." It 
is indeed but another term for total annihilation. The 
path to Nirvana is through endless transmigrations. 
The Buddhist's noblest wish is to shorten the period 
of these successive cycles of existence, and lose his 
personality at last. To accomplish this he must con- 
quer all feeling and attain to a sublime indifference 
to everything in life. 

The moral code of Buddhism is contained in the 
Noble Eight-fold Path, which is: Right Belief, Right 
Feeling, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Means 
of Livelihood, Right Endeavor, Right Memory, and 
Right Meditation. To observe this Eight-fold Path 
will bring one to a final absorption in the soul 
of the universe. This is the answer which the Bud- 
dhist gives to the great question. His only concep- 



196 ONE religion; all others false. 

tion of salvation is an utter loss of personal being, 
and even this is to be reached only by an absolute 
observance of law. In default of obedience, he must 
continue on the weary pilgrimage. The best that he 
can hope for is to breathe at last the odor of the lotus 
flower, and sink into oblivion like a raindrop in the 
sea. 

V. Confucianism. Just outside the capital city of 
China stands an image, with a memorial tablet bear- 
ing this inscription, "Ktmg-foo-Tse, A king without a 
kingdom, yet reigning in hearts innumerable." The 
religion of the Chinese Empire, with its five hundred 
millions of people, is little more than a personal rev- 
erence for this illustrious man. He was superinten- 
dent of parks in the province of Lu, and, being 
brought into contact with much official corruption, 
was, as his biographer says, "frightened at what he 
saw." The times were out of joint; the Empire 
seemed hastening to its fall. K'ung Fu-tze, or Con- 
fucius, stood forth, saying; " I show you a more ex- 
cellent way. It is foolish to speak of God and heaven 
and incomprehensible things. One thing we know; 
that is, present life and present duty. There is a re- 
gion lying at our doors, where each may put forth his 
best energies for the public good." It will be seen 
that his purpose was not to originate a religious sys- 
tem, but to reform the present order. The sacred 
book is the "Analects of Confucius." Its central 
thought is The Kingdom. Christ also spoke of a 
Kingdom; by which he meant the Kingdom of Truth 
and Righteousness, the Kingdom of Heaven, the 
Kingdom of God. But the kingdom of which Confu- 
cius dreamed was of a far more material sort; it was 



one religion; all others false. 197 

the Chinese Empire. His " religion " is merely a 
system of civil economics. The Confucianist looks 
forward to no heaven ; he dreams of no tabernacle 
descending from above in millennial glory. His Celes- 
tial Empire is China here and now. The three duties 
pre-eminently set forth in the Analects are as follows: 

1. Filial Piety. The kingdom is regarded as a 
large family in which the Emperor is father of all. 
The prime duty of every citizen is reverence for his 
political father ; after that for civil functionaries ; then 
for his father in the flesh; finally for all his ancestors. 
In no other country are the obligations that flow from 
the filial relation more thoroughly respected than in 
China. There is no sentiment in this, however; its 
object is the conservation of the state. 

2. Veneration for Learning. The scriptures of the 
Celestial Empire are a compilation of the wise sayings 
of the sages. These are purely secular. "When we 
know so little about life and its duties," said the 
great teacher, " how can we be expected to say any- 
thing about death or what comes after it ? " 

3. Reverence for the past. China has been at 
a standstill for twenty centuries. The old order 
changeth not. The ideas of the Chinese are musty 
and mildewed and — like their faces, their houses and 
their junks — all made after one pattern. As to the 
question, "What shall I do to be saved?" there is 
no voice nor answer nor any that regardeth. The 
word "Salvation" was rubbed out of their vocabu- 
lary by Confucius. They are a race of materialists, 
dull, plodding, heedless of eternity as moles. 

14 To be content's their natural desire; 
They ask no angel's wings nor seraph's fire." 



198 ONE religion; all others false. 

VI. Islam. The camel-driver of Mecca seems to 
have been at the outset a pure-minded and kindly- 
disposed dreamer of dreams; but in the year of the 
Hejira, A.D. 622, when he was driven out of his 
native city, his spirit was changed. As he issued 
from the gates of Mecca he unsheathed his sword and 
became a red-handed sensualist. The call to prayer 
was mingled with the summons to the Holy War. 
No quarter must be given to unbelievers. " Fight 
against them," said the prophet, " until not one shall 
be left to oppose us and the only religion shall be 
that of Allah the true God.'' 

He gathered his disciples about him and produced 
the Koran. It is regarded as more than an inspired 
book, being "the uncreated Word of God." The 
angel Gabriel brought him the silken scroll on which 
it was inscribed, commanding him to read. He said, 
"I cannot read." Thereupon the angel shook him 
thrice and, lo, the inscription became as clear as 
light. He forthwith caused it to be transcribed on 
white stones, leather, palm leaves, the shoulder 
blades of camels and the breasts of men. The Koran 
consists of one hundred and fourteen surahs or 
chapters, each of which begins with the words, 
"In the name of the merciful and compassionate 
God." 

The most succinct statement of Mohammedan belief 
is found in the Kalima, or creed; which is as follows: 
La Ilah ilia Allah j wa Muhammad Rusoul Allah — 
"There is no god but God, and Mohammed is his 
prophet." The two propositions of this creed are 
called by Gibbon " The eternal truth and the eternal 
lie." 



ONE RELIGION; ALL OTHERS FALSE. 1 99 

The Eternal Truth is this, "There is no god but 
God." It must be explained, however, that the God 
of Islam is the apotheosis of pure will. There is no 
love, mercy or sympathy in him. He is called by 
ninety-nine names in the Koran, but " Father" is not 
among them. The closest relation which a believer 
can sustain to this god is expressed in Islam ; that is, 
submission to the supreme will. Out of this concep- 
tion grows the Moslem's belief in fate, or Kismet. 
All things being controlled by an infinite Will; what 
is to be must be, and there is no resisting it. Hence 
the desperate valor of the Moslems in battle. The 
day of a man's death is inscribed on his forehead and 
he can do nothing to avert it. The creation of the 
race is described as follows: Allah took into his 
hands a mass of clay, and dividing it in two equal 
portions, he threw one-half into hell saying, "These 
to eternal fire and I care not!" and, tossing the 
other upward, he added, "These to Paradise and 
I care not!" This is predestination with a ven- 
geance. 

The Eternal Lie is this, "And Mohammed is his 
prophet. " The camel-driver of Mecca has come down 
through the centuries grasping a sword crimson with 
blood; he is attended on one side by the master of 
the harem, on the other by the Arab slave-driver. 
Thus in spirit he leads the Moslem host to-day as they 
push their conquests downward from the northern 
coasts of Africa among the barbaric tribes. In this 
Holy War the three historic evils of savagery are per- 
petuated : war, polygamy and slavery. Put over 
against this figure of the false prophet, the Christ of 
Calvary leading on his militant Church with no 



200 one religion; all others false. 

weapon save the sword of the Spirit which is the 
Word of God. 

We have finished our brief survey of the six greatest 
of the false religions. There are some conclusions 
which we must have reached. First : There is a 
measure of truth in each of these religions. How 
could it be otherwise, since God has never left himself 
without a witness ? There is gold in quartz, in the 
granite of the mountains, in auriferous sands, even in 
the waves that roll in upon the Pacific coast. But 
the question is, "Is it there in paying quantities ? and 
can it be separated from the dross? " Secondly : There 
is somewhat of sound morality in each of the false 
systems, but in every case it is hopelessly mingled 
with the basest sentiments. By universal consent the 
ethical code of Christianity, as represented in its 
two great symbols, the Decalogue and the Sermon on 
the Mount, is absolutely perfect. There is nothing 
to be added, nor anything to be taken from it. But 
thirdly: The determining factor in our argument is 
the question, "What must I do to be saved?" To 
this the false religions give no answer. They all 
fail at the point where they are most needed. Not 
one of them has any suggestion to make as to our 
deliverance from the horror of a mislived past. Is 
there any escape ? Can the record be blotted out ? 
Aye ! " The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all 
sin." — "He that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ 
shall be saved." This is Spes Unica ; the only hope. 
1 ' There is none other name under heaven given' among 
men, whereby we must be saved." We look in vain 
among all the sacred books of the false religions for 
any doctrine corresponding to justification by faith. 



ONE RELIGION; ALL OTHERS FALSE. 201 

There is a fountain filled with blood 

Drawn from Immanuel's veins ; 
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, 

Lose all their guilty stains. 

"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it 
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that 
believeth." On this we build our confident hope that 
Christianity shall be the universal religion. It is 
the true religion, and the truth must ultimately pre- 
vail. The glory of the Lord Christ is destined to 
cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. 



THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF 
JESUS CHRIST. 

" For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined 
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the 
face of Jesus Christ."— II. Cor. 4, 6. 

The key of the argument is the word " For." Paul 
has been saying, " We preach not ourselves but 
Christ Jesus our Lord, and ourselves your servants 
for Jesus' sake." He was pre-eminently a Christo- 
logical preacher. At the moment of his conversion 
he had asked, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
do ? " — not that he had previously lacked employ- 
ment, for as arch-inquisitor of the Sanhedrin he had 
been a very busy man. But the flash-light glimpse 
which he had caught of the face of Jesus, revolution- 
ized his life. The things done in his past life were 
instantly seen to be not worth the doing. The 
vision, the dazzling light, the words, "I am Jesus," 
suggested a new mastership and drew from him the 
quick, acquiescent response, " What wilt thou have 
me to do ?" 

He was directed to go into Damascus, where in 
due time it should be told him what he must do. 
He was led, stricken with blindness, to a certain 
home in the street called " Straight"; and there he 

(202,) 



THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 203 

waited for the word which was to change the tenor 
of his life. 

One day a disciple of Jesus came and, laying a 
kindly hand upon him, said, " Brother Saul, the 
Lord Jesus hath sent me that thou mightest receive 
thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost." He 
was then told of his appointment " as a chosen vessel 
to declare the name of Jesus before the Gentiles and 
kings and the children of Israel." This was his mis- 
sion; this was his commission. Straightway he be- 
gan to preach, accordingly, that Jesus is the Christ. 
In the synagogues, in the public streets, on Mars' 
Hill, in prison, on the steps of the Castle of Antonia, 
on shipboard, in palaces and judgment halls, his 
message was always the same, "This Jesus is the 
Christ!" 

No doubt there were those among his hearers who 
would have heard the learned Rabbi discourse on 
other themes. He was competent to speak on the 
false philosophers of his time, on governmental sci- 
ence, on current events; but he was determined to 
** know nothing but Christ and him crucified." By 
reason of his familiarity with the arts of logic and 
rhetoric he might doubtless have made a mark for 
himself as the sensational preacher of his time; but 
to his mind there was nothing of more absorbing 
interest or more truly " sensational " than the great 
tragedy on Calvary. He was scourged, imprisoned, 
stoned, cast out of the synagogues, haled before 
magistrates ; but he went right on preaching Christ. 
Why not ? The love of Christ constrained him. 
The gospel filled the horizons of his life. Christ was 
around him like the air, over him like the dome of 



204 THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 

heaven, under him like terra firma. Christ had arisen 
in his soul like a morning sun, so that all minor 
lights cast a shadow. He could think of nothing 
but Christ, speak of nothing but Christ. And here 
is his apology: "For God, who commanded the 
light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our 
hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory 
of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 

I. God had shined into his heart. No greater revela- 
tion can come to any man. To know God — this is 
life eternal. It is easy to speak the word — a little 
word of three letters, — but what vast measures of 
truth are contained in it. Paul had been a religionist 
all his life. He had been graduated from the Univer- 
sity of Jerusalem with the title Doctor of Divinity. He 
was familiar with the teachings of the Rabbis and an 
expert in the various schools of Greek philosophy. 
But he had never known God until the moment when 
this great light fell upon him. He had worn the 
cabalistic phrase, " Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God 
is one Lord," on the frontlet between his eyes. He 
was familiar with the conventional phrases respecting 
an "All-pervading Soul," a "Something-that-maketh- 
for-righteousness, " and the "Essence of things." 
But now God had shined into his heart, and in this 
sunburst a new conception of life and duty and 
character had come to him. 

He likens it to the original fiat: " Let there be 
light ! " The God who had made himself manifest 
to him was the God who had "commanded light to 
shine out of darkness." The primeval world was a 
surging, steaming mass ; elements in confusion ; 
lightnings and thunderings; embryotic continents el- 



THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 205 

bowing their way out of the roaring waters. Then 
the fiat; all nature felt it; life and beauty appeared ; 
order and gladness; blooming flowers and singing 
birds. 

" God said, ' Let there be light ! ' 
Grim darkness felt his might 

And fled away. 
Then startled seas and mountains cold 
Shone forth all bright in blue and gold, 

And cried, ' ' Tis day ! ' Tis day ! ' " 

The unregenerate heart is like chaos : it is a world 
of crude and unorganized potencies. Will, mind and 
conscience are disordered. Paul says that he had 
sought in a pure conscience to serve God from His 
youth up. As he went forth from the hall Gazith to 
persecute the followers of the Nazarene, "breathing 
out slaughter," like a lion with red-stained lips, he 
"verily thought He was doing God service. " But 
the light from heaven revealed his error. Bystanders, 
as they saw him led away, said, " He is blind "; but, 
though his fleshly eyes were closed, his inner vision 
was opened to behold things which he never had 
dreamed of. One truth was now as clear as day : 
"This Jesus is the Christ." Jesus, whom he had re- 
jected, whose followers he had persecuted, was now 
and henceforth his Alpha and Omega, the beginning 
of every purpose, the end of every aspiration. 

The shining of God into a human heart is always 
a revolutionary experience. It reverses all religious 
conceptions, and transforms character. The man 
who has seen the great light from heaven can never 
again be the same man ; he cannot enter a sanctuary 
with the old feeling, he cannot go into his workshop 



206 THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 

with the old purpose. He has been born into the 
kingdom of truth and righteousness. His whole 
nature cries out, "What wilt thou have me to do ? " 
Wealth, pleasure, personal emolument, all former 
pursuits, dwindle into naught. Old things are 
passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

II. To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of 
God. But how could that be ? Who can apprehend 
the glory of God ? 

The Jews say that Joshua, one of their ancient 
Rabbis, was summoned by the Emperor Trajan, who 
said, " You teach that your God is everywhere; show 
him to me." The Rabbi answered, "No mortal eye 
can behold him." " I am the emperor; show him to 
me." "No man can see God and live; but I will 
show thee one of his ambassadors. " " Where is he ? " 
The Rabbi pointed to the noonday sun. The Emperor 
exclaimed, "It dazzles me ! " And Joshua said, "If 
thou canst not look upon one of his creatures, how 
canst thou behold him who is Creator of all ? " 

On one occasion Moses, being fearful and dis- 
couraged, prayed, "O God, show me thy glory!" 
And the Lord said, "I will make my goodness pass 
before thee, and I will proclaim my name before 
thee." And Moses hid in the cleft of the rock and 
waited. He heard the rustle of a garment, and saw 
a shadow pass by. That was all. 

In the darkest hour of Jewish history the prophet 
Elijah fled into the wilderness, where the Lord ap- 
peared to enhearten him. A rushing wind swept 
over the mountain, but the Lord was not in the 
wind. Then the earth shook and trembled; but the 
Lord was not in the earthquake. Then a mighty 



THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 207 

conflagration; but the Lord was not in the fire. 
After that a still, small voice, and the voice said, 
"What doest thou here, Elijah? Return to thy 
work. " 

The Prophet Isaiah, under similar circumstances, 
beheld a vision. He saw the Lord upon a throne 
high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. 
He heard the seraphim crying to one another, 
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts! " and the 
house was filled with "the smoke of his presence." 
Then the prophet cried, "Woe is me! for I am un- 
done; because I am a man of unclean lips: for mine 
eyes have seen the king!" In fact he had only seen 
the Shechinah, the luminous cloud in which God 
tempered the brightness of His glory; and it af- 
frighted him. Then one of the seraphim came with a 
live coal from the altar, and laid it upon his lips, and 
a voice asked, " Whom shall I send, and who will go 
for us ? " And the prophet, strengthened by his 
vision, replied, " Here am I; send me." 

It thus appears that to catch a glimpse of the in- 
effable glory is to be mightily stimulated for service. 
We turn aside to frivolous pursuits, forget the great 
commission, squander our energies, lose heart, and 
fall into doubt and perplexity for lack of the vision. 
If to know God is life, to see his glory is a girdle of 
faithfulness. O that he would shine into our hearts 
to give the light of his glory! 

III. In the face of Jesus Christ. At the moment 
when Paul was struck with blindness, this is what he 
saw — the divine glory shining in the face of Jesus 
Christ. Nowhere else can this glory be unveiled to 
human sight. We cannot look on God, in his essen- 



208 THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST 

tial being, and live; but in the incarnation he has 
condescended to reveal himself to us. 

Paul had never seen Jesus in the flesh. He had 
heard of him as a carpenter, a man of the people, a 
setter-forth of strange truths. He had heard of his 
sermons, of his miracles, of his ignominious death, 
of his alleged resurrection : and he had doubtless 
taken all these with a grain of allowance. But now 
he saw him, heard his voice, saw God's glory shining 
in his face. He no longer wore a crown of thorns, 
no longer bore the marks of blood and spitting. His 
face was illumined with a light above the brightness 
of the sun. His simple word, "I am Jesus," born 
with it an irresistible force of conviction. No need 
of argument ; the glory in the face of Jesus was 
enough. He whom Saul of Tarsus had despised as 
the crucified Nazarene was indeed " the brightness 
of the Father's glory and the express image of his 
person." In that moment Saul caught a glimpse of 
the mystery of the Incarnation, as the unveiling of 
the Infinite and Eternal One. 

Is it not singular that in the inspired biographies 
of Jesus there is no description of his face ? In vain 
have the great masters tried to portray it. Rubens, 
Murillo, DaVinci, Raphael, Titian, Guido, Angelo, 
Fra Angelico, all have attempted this in vain. But 
those who believe in Christ have something better 
than a portrait, better than a historic description, 
better than an artist's ideal. In the heart of every 
believer there is a face, bright with transcendent 
beauty, which words cannot describe; but day by 
day he lives in the light of it and rejoices in the glory 
of it. 



THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 209 

And, however we may differ as to our conception 
of this divine face, there are some particulars in 
which all will agree: (i) // is a pure face. And herein 
it is unique. All human faces bear the marks of sin. 
What we call beauty is merely conventional. There 
is no beauty but the beauty of holiness; and this is 
never seen, in its perfection, in any human counte- 
nance. Sin ploughs furrows across the brow, cor- 
rupts the blood and blears the eyes. Retribution 
leaves its traces on the fairest features and heredity 
perpetuates the blemish. A photographer's negative 
must be "retouched," not because his art is imper- 
fect, or the light is in default, but because the human 
face is unfit to bear the searching processes of the 
sun. In the face of Jesus, however, there was no 
defect. There was no guile in his heart, nor could 
there be outward sign of it. He is fairer than the 
children of men; grace is poured into his lips. 

It is (2) a strong face. The mark of manly power is 
upon it. He wakes from sleep and, stretching his 
hands over the tempest, says, "Be still!" and the 
boisterous waves, like chastened children, sob them- 
selves to sleep. He speaks to the demons who have 
possessed the soul of the Gadarene, "Come forth! " 
and the next moment the man has thrown himself 
penitent and weeping before him. To his enemies 
who seek him in the garden he suddenly appears; 
and before the brightness of his countenance they 
fall as dead men. Passing by the receipt of customs, 
he says to Matthew, "Follow me!" and the man 
without murmur or questioning, rises up and follows 
him. He preaches in the streets: " Come unto me 
all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give 



210 THE GLORY IX THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 

you res::" and one of his congregation — a lost. 
friendless, despairing woman, — follows him to his 
home and empties an alabaster box of precious oil of 

spikenard on his feet. 

It is (3) a loving face. He alone of all the great 

teachers of history opens his arms to the children. 
saying. " Suffer them to come unto me." He weeps 
over Jerusalem at the very hour when its rulers 
and people are preparing to crucify him. saying, 
"How often would I have gathered you as a hen 
doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye 
would not! " In the agony of bitter death he turns 
his face toward the penitent thief, saying. "To-day 
thou shalt be with me in paradise." 

It is hard to understand how any man can look 
thoughtfully and fixedly on the face of Jesus, shining 
thus with the divine glory, — the glory of holiness and 
power and love. — without yielding to him in humble 
submission, saying. "My Lord, my life, my sacrifice, 
my Saviour and my all ! " But. alas ! we will not look 
fixedly and thoughtfully at him. 

One of our poets tells of a Brahman pundit who 
sat with the Shaster in one hand and the Bible in the 
other, hesitating between them *' How may I know," 
he cried. " if this or this be God? " He had passed his 
life in the ancestral faith; but as he read the gospels, 
the magnetic power of Jesus came upon him. He 
formed a desperate resolution. — he would test Brahma 
at the dagger"s point! That night he made his way 
into the temple: trembling in every limb, he crept 
along the colonnades of minor gods, fearful lest 
Brahma might at any moment lay a hercehand upon 
him. He strengthened himself in the assurance that 



THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 211 

he came not to scoff nor to deny, but to know the 
truth. At length he reached the great image. Let 
the poet tell what followed : 

" Full in the idol's breast the blade 
Was plunged. There came no moan. 

The Pundit dropped with stifling joy upon the pavement stone, 
Sobbing, ' My Brahma is a lie; the Christ is God, alone ! ' " 

A simpler, better test is this: to calmly ponder on 
Christ at Calvary, — to look upon his face, marred 
but divinely beautiful, until the eye shall affect the 
heart, — to look until the divine glory shall overspread 
it like a rising sun. The Cross is the touchstone of 
truth. 

Domenichino, in his picture of the Crucifixion, 
represents a group of angels hovering above the 
cross. One of them, with a look of wonder and per- 
plexity, is touching the points of the thorny crown. 
Aye, let him wonder, for never was love like this! 
And you, my comrade in the earnest quest of truth, 
gaze on this face of Jesus; for the great revelation is 
here and nowhere else. This is your East, whence 
the Sun of Righteousness must arise to find its 
shining way into your heart. 

" O could I speak the matchless worth, 
O could I sound the glories forth, 

Which in my Saviour shine ; 
I'd soar and touch the heavenly strings, 
And vie with Gabriel while he sings 

In notes almost divine." 

And here is the beginning of the Christian life; to 
see the great Sacrifice, to hear the voice that Paul 
heard, saying, "I am Jesus." As we look, the eyes 
of Jesus, filming in death, beam with an unearthly 



212 THE GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST. 

love; his lips, parched with the last fever, are mov- 
ing, and his hands, nailed to the accursed tree, are 
stretched out. " His hands are stretched out still! " 
Did we say once, "He hath no form or comeliness, 
and there is no beauty that we should desire him " ? 
Ah, he is the " chiefest among ten thousand, the one 
altogether lovely. " And if we behold him thus in 
his humility, wearing the glory of heaven on his face, 
how will he appear when he sitteth on his throne 
high and lifted up ? 

" Well, the delightful day will come 

When my dear Lord will bring me home, 

And I shall see his face ; 
Then with my Saviour, Brother, Friend, 
A blest eternity I'll spend, 

Triumphant in his grace." 



THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 

11 And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to 
dress and keep it."— Gen. 2, 15. 

Why was not Adam placed in an automatic garden 
that would dress and keep itself ? Had the matter 
been left to him, he might have chosen to sit under 
the trees listening to singing birds and murmuring 
brooks, watching the panorama of clouds sweeping 
by, saying sweet nothings to Eve and building castles 
in the air. But the Lord knew best. He knew that 
under such conditions the man would run to adipose 
tissue and fail to develop the possibilities that were 
within him. He knew also that " Satan finds some 
mischief still for idle hands to do." 

It is the fashion in these times, in certain quarters, 
to look on manual labor as "bad form." It must 
shock the sensibilities of some people to reflect that 
their remotest ancestor was a workingman; and, alas 
for them! the second Adam also was a workingman. 
In one of the famous satires of Celsus directed against 
the Christian religion, he says, "It is abominable to 
suggest that God should have sent his only-begotten 
Son into the world to be a carpenter." On the con- 
trary this is precisely what we should expect. If the 
only-begotten Son is to assume our humanity, it is 
natural that he should take the form not of the lowest 

(«3) 



214 THE DIGNITY Ol LABOR. 

nor of the highest, but of the average man. This is 
precisely what he does. The effort to adorn him with 
a luminous halo is quite futile: he could have no 
more fitting crown than the workman's cap. He 
belongs to the Third Estate: he is distinctly a man of 
the people, a man among men. 

I speak of the Dignity of Labor. It is a mistake to 
suppose that a curse was originally put upon labor 
by reason of Adam's sin. The ground was indeed 
"accursed for his sake." All nature bears the mark 
of attainder. "I went by the field of the slothful 
and. lo. it was all grown over with thorns; and net- 
tles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall 
thereof was broken down.' 1 It is the curse of indo- 
lence. Industry must lift the ban. Our present 
purpose is to show that labor is every way blessed 
and. like matrimony, "honorable in all." 

I. It is the din vnce of nature. " In the sweat of thy 
face shall thou eat bread''" is the primal law. The 
apjstle puts it in negative form. "If any will not 
work, neither let him eat." 

God never made a loaf of bread. He made a man 
and a field: and to the man he said, " Behold. I have 
made a field: you must do the rest." If the man 
refuses to till the soil, reap the harvest, grind the 
corn and bake the flour, he shall not eat bread. — God 
never made a coat. He made a man and a sheep ; and 
to the man he said. "Lo. I have made a sheep, and wool 
to grow upon its back: you must do the rest." If the 
man will not shear the fleece, and card the wool, and 
spin and weave it. his back will go bare. — God never 
made a house. He made a man and a forest: and to 
the man he said, "Go into the forest, fell a tree and 



THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 215 

make for yourself a house; or you shalt have no roof 
to shelter you," 

The man who will not work is out of harmony 
with nature. The world is a vast laboratory; air, 
earth and water are ever busy in the work of decom- 
position and reconstruction. Listen and you may 
hear the sounds of the formative processes; wheels 
revolving and dynamos at work. The furnaces are 
never extinguished. Force is being turned out in 
various forms and applied to its manifold uses. Bees 
are making honey, birds are building nests, lions are 
hunting their prey, beasts of burden are plodding 
along the beaten paths. The indolent man is a loose 
pin in the machine. The order of nature would be 
better without him. 

II. Labor is the safeguard of society. What is society? 
A mutual organization with a common fund. All 
members of this organization are bound to be pro- 
ducers, — that is, contributors to the common fund. 

The great sociological problem is how to deal with 
the non-producers. We have jails and reformatories 
for criminals, and asylums for the helpless; but what 
shall be done with the non-producing classes — those 
who violate no law but the primal law of industry? 

There is the multitudinous army of tramps. The 
sum total of their philosophy is, " The world owes 
me a living." In fact the world owes no man a 
living; it owes him merely the opportunity to make a 
living for himself. In this particular they do not 
serve who "only stand and wait." 

A still more difficult class is the idle aristocracy. 
The world groans under its burden of respectable 
ne'er-do-weels. I am sorry for a rich man's son. As 



2l6 THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 

a rule an inheritance is a curse. There are splendid 
exceptions; but a youth must have a brave heart, 
broad shoulders and a strong vertebral column, in 
order to bear up under a patrimony and not be ruined 
by it. It is a mistaken kindness in fathers to relieve 
their sons of the responsibilities of common toil. We 
are told that nine out of ten sons of wealthy men, in 
the struggle of commercial life, are driven to the wall. 
Who are the successful men in New York ? A few 
years ago most of them were living on the farm, 
rising at five in the morning and drawing on woolen 
mittens to do the chores and water the stock. In due 
time, moved by a splendid ambition, they came to 
the metropolis, seeking a larger field of labor. And, 
while the scions of rich fathers were waiting on the 
ground floor for an elevator to carry them up, these 
brawny youths climbed the stairway, three steps at a 
time, to the " room at the top." 

A word also as to our young ladies. It is greatly 
to the credit of many that they are able to meet the 
trials and temptations of society with no sacrifice of 
true womanhood. But there are others whose lives 
are utterly giddy and frivolous; who turn night into 
day and day into night; devote their noblest energies 
to formal calls, novel reading, embroidery, the elab- 
orate duties of the toilet and *' social functions." 
Miss Flora McFlimsy, who "had nothing to wear," 
has passed out of vogue ; but multitudes are left who, 
more unfortunately, have nothing to do. Their busi- 
ness is " to amuse and to be amused, to see and to be 
seen, to follow in the train of fashion, to turn life into 
a pageant or a song. " The summit of their aspira- 
tion is reached when they go decked and smiling to 



THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 217 

the connubial altar; for what is better than to be a 
beautiful ivy with a stalwart oak to cling to ? And 
when the end is reached, there is nothing behind save 
the memory of giddy hours; and before? The judg- 
ment day. The end of all is a tombstone whereon 
should be inscribed, "Vanity of vanities." 

III. Labor is the secret of happiness. The song of the 
toiler is the melody that has gladdened the earth. 
Who are the people that complain of the blues and 
the doldrums, of jaundice and melancholia ? Who 
are the woebegone and discontented, the grievers 
and complainers, les miserables ? You will not find 
them in busy shops and counting rooms, but among 
those who have nothing to do. The happy people 
are those who go whistling to their tasks. They have 
no leisure for fret and worry ; and their fare is too 
simple to induce dyspepsia. It is a true saying, 
" The heart of the toiler has throbbings that stir not 
the bosom of kings." 

IV. Labor is the key to success. This is our objective 
point — success. The men whom we meet along the 
thronging thoroughfares are all addressing them- 
selves to it. 

It cannot be too strongly emphasized that there is 
no " Northwest Passage " to this Eldorado. "The 
longest way around is the shortest way there." As a 
rule, success comes to those who deserve it. 

You are making a mistake, young man, if you 
think that you can "live on your wits." The effort 
to circumvent the ordinary methods of gaining a 
livelihood or winning a fortune are quite futile. I 
know an honest artisan who ruined himself by invent- 
ing a washing-machine. He left his bench and 



2l8 THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 

devoted himself to the development of his idea. It 
was a good machine — barring only the trivial fact 
that it would not wash. The inventor went hither 
and yon, searching for capital to back his enterprise. 
He talked nothing but washing-machines, dreamed 
only washing-machines. He grew threadbare and 
hollow-cheeked. The last I heard of him he was still 
pursuing his will-o'-the-wisp. 

It is an equally grave mistake to resort to specula- 
tion. A commission merchant in Detroit recently 
said, that probably one-third of the young business 
men of that thrifty city are crippled by investing in 
options. Poor Micawber ! It should be understood 
that it is manifold easier to turn something up than 
to wait for something to turn up. Poor Colonel Sel- 
lers ! His counterparts are many; dining on turnips 
and water, while planning great enterprises with 
millions in them. 

Are you thinking of the Klondyke? Be well- 
advised. Festina lente is a good motto. Stick to your 
bench; plod ; a day's wage is better than the philoso- 
pher's stone. The latest advices tell of two men who 
were found frozen on their sledge, returning over the 
Skaguay trail. On their persons were a hundred 
thousand dollars in yellow dust. What dreams died 
with them ! What wasted labors and privations were 
theirs! We may imagine that, as they set out on the 
return, one said to the other, "Well, it's been 
drudgery, but worth while; I have fifty thousand 
dollars in my belt." And his friend replied, "So 
have I. This is success." But what shall it profit 
a man ? 

And then there are many youths who lean on 



THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 219 

patronage. They come to you with their pockets 
full of credentials. Blessed is the youth who asks no 
other assistance than that of his ten fingers, which 
are his ten best friends. It is manly to shift for one's 
self. It is knightly to win one's spurs. Who would 
be a potted plant, shielded and watered and trained 
on a stick ? Better be an oak. Put an acorn into a 
crevice, and it will strike its roots downward and 
reach forth its tentacles, searching for a grip — the 
grip that is always better than a pull — and clasp the 
rock and brace itself in defiance of wind and tempest. 
Get your resolution from the force of resistance, my 
friend ; strengthen yourself in your own brave pur- 
pose for the fierce struggles of life. 

Are you ambitious to be as great as Franklin ? as 
successful as Edison ? as eloquent as Whitfield ? as 
immortal as Handel ? Do you mean it ? Would you 
condescend to push a wheelbarrow through the 
streets of Philadelphia, as Franklin did ? Have you 
patience to talk into a cylinder eighteen hours a day 
for seven weary months to get one aspirated sound ? 
If not, you cannot be as successful as Edison: for 
that is precisely what he did. Would you be willing 
to black the boots of your fellow-students at school ? 
If not, you cannot expect to emulate Whitfield; for 
that is what he did. Could you practice on a harpsi- 
chord day after day, night after night, until the keys 
were hollowed like a spoon under your industrious 
fingers ? If not, you can never become as great a 
musician as Handel; for it was thus that he won his 
claim to immortality. 

V. Labor is the basis of character. For what is char- 
acter but a well rounded and thoroughly developed 



220 THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 

bundle of energies. Ask an electrician why the arm- 
ature of his great magnet is loaded with weights, 
and he will tell you that it loses power when it has 
nothing to do. So is it with a man; he grows by 
exercise. In indolence he runs to seed. 

This is true of national as of individual character. 
Industry is the measure of civilization. Savages re- 
fuse to work. They have no agriculture ; they prefer 
to live on what grows of itself. They have no man- 
ufactures; a stone hatchet is easier to get than a 
Damascus blade. They have no commerce; a hollow 
log will answer their indolent needs. The moment 
you furnish a dugout with sails and rudder, that it 
may venture farther from the shore, you are passing 
from barbarism to civilization. 

A few years ago, while we were camping among the 
Sioux, above Lake Superior, the Indians often came 
with berries to sell. They approached in Indian file, 
the braves trotting in front — tall, stalwart and empty- 
handed, and after them the squaws, bending under 
the heavy mokucks of berries. It was beneath the dig- 
nity of the braves to perform any sort of manual toil. 

The effect of indolence upon a nation finds an apt 
illustration in Spain. No country on earth has a 
richer soil; they say, " If you tickle it with a hoe, it 
laughs w T ith a harvest." But, unfortunately for the 
Castilian race, they have a prejudice against the hoe. 
They are given to bull-fighting and fan-flirting and 
love-making. Once there were twelve thousand vil- 
lages along the Guadalquiver; now there are but 
eight hundred — the land has fallen into innocuous 
desuetude. The people are a race of beggars, more 
or less respectable. There is no greatness in Spain. 



THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 221 

If the kingdom were to perish from the earth, it 
would leave no laws, no literature, nothing as a leg- 
acy to posterity. The pride of the Spaniards is vast 
and ludicrous. Their strength has been bluster for 
centuries. Little Holland, with less than three mil- 
lions of people, fought Spain, one generation taking 
up the fight where the last had left it, until Philip 
III. begged for an armistice. They are unable even 
to subdue Cuba. Poor, famished Cuba! What a 
pathetic farce is this ; that the grandees of Spain, 
with their fleets and their armies, should be success- 
fully resisted by a few brave islanders, whose ranks 
are decimated by slaughter, famine and plague! 

We, on the contrary, have been derided as " a 
nation of shopkeepers and artisans." Our glory is 
in the truth of that imputation. Alas for us, when 
we consent to look on labor with Spanish eyes! If 
war must be declared against Spain — which God for- 
fend — let us rejoice that a call for volunteers would be 
answered, as it was when Lincoln made his historic 
appeal for a ' ' hundred thousand more, " not by volun- 
teers from the street corners and drawing-rooms, but 
from the fields and the workshops. Here is the source 
of our greatness; here the hope of our perpetuity. 
The true American is neither the alms-taker nor the 
gentleman of leisure, but the man of whom Long- 
fellow sings: 

''Under a spreading chestnut-tree 

The village smithy stands; 
The smith, a mighty man is he, 

With large and sinewy hands, 
And the muscles of his brawny arms 

Are strong as iron bands. 



222 THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 

" His hair is crisp and black and long; 

His face is like the tan; 
His brow is wet with honest sweat — 

He earns whate'er he can; 
And he looks the whole world in the face, 

For he owes not any man." 

Two thoughts in conclusion: First, Our work is all 
for God. This is the clause which "makes drudgery- 
divine." The most menial of duties is glorified if it 
be performed as in the great Taskmaster's eye. And 
Second, Our supreme work is in the Kingdom. We are 
in constant danger of concentrating our energies upon 
the getting of a livelihood to the neglect of our real 
life. The Hindus, at one of their festivals, pay divine 
honors to the implements of their trades. The black- 
smith brings his hammer, the carpenter his saw and 
plane, the husbandman his rude plow; and they bow 
down and worship them. We are in danger, amid 
the absorbing competitions of secular life, of falling 
into a similar idolatry. Let us be diligent in busi- 
ness, fervent in spirit, but always serving the Lord. 
And while faithful in our bread-and-butter work, let 
us ever remember that our supreme interest is in the 
pursuits of the higher life. 

The only-begotten Son of God came from heaven 
to save men. In due time he entered the carpenter 
shop and toiled as other men ; but lie never forgot his 
supreme work. The villagers brought in their furni- 
ture, the farmers their plows to be mended ; and the 
Carpenter of Nazareth gave honest work for honest 
wages. But the thought of his great mission was 
never out of mind. "I have a baptism to be bap- 
tized with; and how is my soul straitened until it 



THE DIGNITY OF LABOR. 223 

shall be accomplished ! " When he had reached and 
passed the consummation of his great purpose on 
Calvary, he gathered his disciples about him and said, 
as he had said before to them, "As the Father sent 
me into the world, so send I you." That is, the dis- 
ciples of Christ are ever to regard themselves as 
laborers with him in the great mission of delivering 
this world from sin. Be faithful, my friend, in your 
workshop; but, in the name of our dear Lord, let 
not its four walls confine you. Let your soul be 
larger than your shop. Seek first the kingdom of 
God and his righteousness. This is the glory of 
Christian living. The man who fails to apprehend 
this, — that he belongs to two worlds and must be 
ever doing two things, busy in the shop yet ever busy 
in the affairs of the kingdom, — misses the oppor- 
tunity of his life. Thanks be to God for the exalted 
privilege, for the inestimable honor, which he has 
put upon us; in that we are permitted to stand in the 
great harvest, wielding our sickle by the side of his 
well-beloved Son ! 



A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 

"But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammon- 
ite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised 
us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? " — Neh. 2, 19. 

The Jews who returned from the Babylonian cap- 
tivity were a feeble folk, like the conies — feeble in 
numbers, but great in courage and steadfastness. 
They met with serious opposition when they set 
themselves in earnest to restore the ruined city. The 
heads of the surrounding tribes at first accused them 
of conspiring against the king ; this, however, was 
easily refuted by the decree of Artaxerxes. They 
then invited the Jews to submit the matter of contro- 
versy to arbitration; "Come, let us meet together 
in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono; " the 
answer was, "We are doing a great work, so that 
we cannot come down." The hardest thing the ex- 
iles had to bear, however, was ridicule. Their op- 
posers "were wroth, and took great indignation, and 
mocked them." Sanballat said, "What do these 
feeble Jews ? will they fortify themselves ? will they 
accomplish their purpose in a day ? will they revive 
their city out of the rubbish heaps ? " And his com- 
rade Tobiah laughingly said, " If a fox go up, he 
shall even break down their stone wall." But on 
went the work until the walls were finished and dedi- 
cated "with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals 

(224) 



A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 225 

and psalteries and harps." They laugh best who 
laugh last. 

The sharpest weapon of Antichrist in our time is 
derision. His bow is laughter and his arrows are 
epithets. We no longer stand in terror of the ax, the 
fagot, and the dungeon; but we are always in dan- 
ger of being laughed down. A boy at school finds it 
easier to bear the discipline of the birch than to be 
told that he is restrained by his mother's apron string. 
The pointed finger is a deadlier weapon than the 
naked sword. The height of courage is to stand at 
our places in the building of the wall, regardless of 
sneers and reproaches, of taunt and invective, of hiss- 
ing and vituperation. These are the things that try 
the soul of a man. 

At the beginning of the last century a few youths 
in Oxford came together for the study of the Script- 
ures. They were dubbed "The Holy Club"; but 
they smiled and pursued their work. In due time 
the members of this association carried their zeal out 
into the larger world of affairs ; then they were deri- 
sively called "Methodists." But they stood to their 
principles and glorified God in that name. Among 
them were the two Wesleys and Whitfield. They 
accepted the derisive epithets that were applied to 
them as Samson shouldered the gates of Gaza and 
carried them away to the mountain. 

Up from the fens of England came a company of 
stalwart yeomen to the defense of civil and ecclesias- 
tical freedom. They wore no frills or furbelows. 
Unlike the cavaliers, whose curls fell over their shoul- 
ders, their hair was cropped. They were greeted 
with the epithet " Roundheads." They made no un- 



226 A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 

civil reply, but marched on to Marston Moor; there, 
with the shout, ' ' God with us!" they set the cavaliers 
aflying like chaff before the wind. 

In 1666 a company of Dutch nobles appeared be- 
fore the Regent to protest against the impositions of 
the Council of Trent. Count Berlaymont, observing 
the Regent's trepidation, said, "Fear not, your Maj- 
esty; they are but a pack of beggars." They forth- 
with hung about their necks the beggar's wallet, and 
marshaled an army against the legions of Spain. 
Their cry, "Oranje boven! " rang through the Hol- 
low-Land, and " The Water Beggars " became a name 
to juggle with. 

The fiercest of the weapons turned against our 
Master was ridicule. Some of the finest things that 
were ever said of him were said in epithetic form. 
They called him "The Carpenter"; accepting the 
title, he gave dignity to common toil, and became for 
all time the champion of the Third Estate. They 
called him "The friend of publicans and sinners"; 
not resenting it, he chose for an apostle Matthew the 
publican, and said to the Magdalene, " Go in peace." 
They crowned him with thorns and bowed before him 
in mock obeisance, saying, " Hail, King of the Jews ! " 
The epithet was inscribed on the titulum which was 
nailed to the cross. He is honored and worshiped 
to-day as King of the whole Israel of God. 

Blessed is the man who, in defence of his princi- 
ples, can thus turn to advantage the weapons of his 
foes. When some one said to Diogenes, who lifted 
his voice against the sensuous pleasures of his time, 
" Thine enemies deride thee," he answered bravely, 
" Nevertheless, I am not derided ! " The man who 



A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 227 

is sensible of right intention and high aspiration can 
afford to rise superior to puerile opposition. Shall 
we expect to be exempt ? " Woe unto you when all 
men speak well of you." 

I. You have opinions; and because they are deeply 
grounded in mind and conscience and heart, you are 
tenacious of them. My friend, you are a bigot! The 
"liberals " will tell you that Christianity is not doc- 
trine, but life. They will quote with unction, 

" For forms of faith let canting bigots fight ; 
His faith cannot be wrong, whose life is right." 

They cannot understand why you should be a 
stickler for a creed. If you still insist, they will tell 
you frankly that you are narrow and intolerant. Do 
not flinch, now. Do not resent it. Plead guilty, 
and, as a bigot, proceed to glorify God. 

For, what is a bigot ? Webster says, " One who 
is stubbornly wedded to a particular creed." So be 
it. There are some truths which, when a man has 
accepted them, are so interwoven with the very fibers 
of his being that he cannot keep his manhood and 
surrender or qualify them. 

You believe in God; a personal God; a God whom 
you can call, " Our Father"; a God who has eyes to 
see, a heart to pity, and hands to help. A scientific 
friend comes to you, saying, " I also believe in God; 
an all - pervading force, a something- not - ourselves 
that-maketh-for-righteousness, the essence of things. 
Why, then, can we not walk together ? " And what 
can you answer ? " Nay, friend, there is a great gulf 
between us. I am stubbornly wedded to my faith in 
a personal God." 



228 A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 

You believe in Jesus Christ as the manifestation of 
this God. He is the brightness of the Father's glory, 
and the express image of his person. He that hath 
seen Christ hath seen the Father. He is very God of 
very God. A Unitarian friend appeals to you: 
" Why should we not walk together ? I also believe 
in Christ; he was the noblest man that ever lived. 
Shall we not, then, abide in fellowship ? " What can 
you say ? " Friend, we differ at the vital point. The 
divinity of Jesus Christ is not one of the non-essen- 
tials. It is the root and foundation of all. I cannot 
surrender it for friendship's sake." 

You believe in the Bible; you have taken it as your 
only and infallible rule of faith and practice; you 
say, It is the Word of God ; and you are not juggling 
with words. A friend, who favors the Higher Criti- 
cism, comes to you saying, " I too believe in the Bible ; 
not as a true book, indeed ; but as a book true in 
spots. Why should we part company on so trivial a 
matter ? " What must you answer, as an honest 
man ? Tell him the Bible is the only historic witness 
of Jesus Christ; and that a man, therefore, cannot 
part company with the Bible and keep company with 
Christ. Tell Him that the Bible is inspired, that is, 
" God - breathed," and that God could not have 
breathed a lie. 

You believe in Justification by Faith; the great 
doctrine of the evangelical Church ; " articulum eccle- 
sice stantis aut cadentis." A rationalistic friend says, 
"What difference does it make? All ways lead to 
Rome. There is good in all religions and philoso- 
phies. Some people are saved by works, others by 
penance, still others by liturgical forms. Let us hope, 



A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 229 

however, that we shall all come together at heaven's 
gate." Are you loyal to your Christian profession? 
Tell him, then, all ways may lead to Rome, but there is 
only one way that leads to heaven; to-wit, the royal 
way of the Cross. " For there is none other name 
under heaven given among men whereby we must be 
saved." 

In taking such positions you will be charged with 
intolerance. Nevertheless the world will respect 
you. In the end you will sacrifice no friendships, 
but win the profound regard of those who differ with 
you. In any case we must be true to our convictions. 
We must stand for what we believe. We cannot 
compromise. 

A few years ago a black man came to the ticket 
office of the Albany Line, in this city, registered his 
name, and asked for a stateroom. The clerk was 
much embarrassed on perceiving that the name was 
"Frederick Douglass, Negro." He said, "I am ex- 
tremely sorry, but the rules of the company require 
that colored men shall sleep on the lower deck. But 
if you will kindly allow me to substitute * Indian ' for 
'Negro,' I can give you a stateroom." Mr. Douglass 
replied with indignation, " No, sir! Put me down 
Negro, plain Negro, and I will sleep in the hold." 
He who does not respect such courage as that, lacks 
the spirit of a man. 

II. You have a conscience ; you have a clear appre- 
hension of the difference between right and wrong; 
you are scrupulous in avoiding whatever is contrary 
to this rule of conduct. My friend, you are a Puritan! 
This is what your free-and-easy friend will tell you. 
And, I pray you, do not begin to deny or to apolo- 



230 A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 

gize. Do not enter any defense. Plead guilty to 
the charge, and proceed to justify it. 

Who were the Puritans ? The best men of their 
time. They had their faults ; they walked with 
a measured gait, wore a too melancholy visage 
and spoke with a nasal twang. They inveighed 
against the Maypole and deemed it sacrilege to eat 
plum pudding on Christmas day. But there was a 
sweet kernel in that rough nut. We can forgive the 
Puritans for leaning a little backward in their devo- 
tion to conscience, when we remember the lax morals 
of those days. It is better to err on the side of 
strict morality than to be lax and lawless. Better be 
a precisian than a Parisian ; better be strait-laced 
than rickety. Hands off the memory of the Puri- 
tans ! No braver men ever lived. Macaulay says, 
"No man ever despised them who had met them 
in debate, or crossed swords with them on the 
embattled field." 

For two great principles they stood with a patient 
and unswerving courage: — First, for the sanctity of 
the Moral Law. They believed in the Decalogue as 
it is interpreted in the Sermon on the Mount. They 
denounced the custom of profanity, so current in 
their day. We are largely indebted to them for the 
institution of the Christian home; the family altar 
with the Bible on it and the household gathered 
around it. We are greatly indebted to them, also, 
for the preservation of the holy Sabbath. They 
denounced the "Book of Sports" which represented 
the loose morals of the Stuart family — the meanest 
family that ever wielded sceptre or wore crown — 
which finds its exact counterpart in the diluted piety 



A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 23 1 

of those who favor our Sunday newspapers and 
athletic games on the Lord's day. 

Second, they contended for the freedom of the indi- 
vidual conscience as against all interference of civil 
or ecclesiastical authority. At this point they set 
themselves distinctly against the fashions of their 
time. "Non-conformity" was their shibboleth; as 
it is written, "Be not conformed unto this world, but 
be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds "; 
and again, " Come out from among them and be ye 
separate, saith the Lord"; and again, "He gave 
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all 
iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people 
zealous of good works"; and again, "Ye are the 
light of the world ; let your light so shine before men 
that they may see your good works and glorify 
God." 

In all this the Puritans are worthy of imitation. Our 
religion is not a matter of sentiment, but of principle. 
If we have entered into God's fellowship, we must 
needs love what he loves and hate what he hates. No 
man can be a true Christian who fears scrupulosity 
in the avoidance of sin. 

All the world knows how the French people, at the 
conclusion of the Franco-Prussian war, refused to 
hold fellowship with their foes. I stood once in a 
rose-garden, in a little town in Brittany-by-the-Sea, 
and heard an old baroness, — whose son, a general in 
the French army, had recently been slain in battle, — 
relate how she had refused to accept the courtesies 
of Von Moltke in an apartment of a railway car. 
Her eyes flashed, her bosom heaved, her lips trembled 
while she told it. "But, Madam," said I, "why 



232 A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 

could you not accept courtesy even from your foe ? " 
With a splendid and pathetic dignity she said, " Why, 
sir, his hands were red with the blood of my only 
son!" Would that we might manifest some of that 
spirit in our attitude toward sin! God hates it. 
God hates it with an utter loathing and abhorrence. 
How could it be otherwise ? It nailed to the cross 
his well-beloved Son. Our abhorrence of sin is the 
sure token of our fellowship with him. 

III. You are in earnest; you think it means some- 
thing to be a follower of Christ; you are constrained 
by his love; the thought of his great mercy and of 
the sinfulness of rejecting him forbids that you should 
hold your peace. My friend, you are a fanatic ! All 
the world and many of your Christian friends will 
tell you so. But do not resent it. Stand to your 
guns. It is a glorious thing to be in dead earnest for 
the right. 

Why is it that earnestness is commended in every- 
thing else but religion ? There was Archimedes the 
mathematician, who, when the enemy, at the capture 
of Syracuse, rushed in upon him with uplifted sword, 
was so intent upon a geometric figure drawn upon 
the floor that he merely said, with a deprecating 
gesture, "Wait a moment ! just a moment, until I 
solve this." Such concentration of purpose is admir- 
able in any cause. Why not, then, in ours ? 

(1.) We believe there is a real danger. All have 
sinned. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Hell is 
an awful fact. Our Lord coupled it with the figures 
of the unquenchable fire and the undying worm. 
And those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ are rush- 
ing headlong towards it. He that believeth not in 



A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 2$$ 

Jesus Christ, shall be damned. If these things are 
so, how can we forbear to warn those who are in 
jeopardy of life ? If a man passing on Fifth Avenue 
were to see flames issuing from the roof of this sanc- 
tuary, he would rush through the door without cer- 
emony, crying, "Fire! Fire!" Would you blame 
him? Would you say, "My friend, you are inter- 
rupting the service ? " Nay, you would praise and 
thank him for it. 

(2.) We believe also in a way of escape. The life- 
line is thrown out from Calvary. It is the one plan 
of salvation. It is simple and effective. It is offered 
on the sole condition of faith. " He that believeth, 
shall be saved." If so, it is of the utmost importance 
that our friends shall close in with its overtures. A 
few days ago one of our great steamships came into 
port with her engines disabled. She reported that 
for three days she had drifted about in mid-ocean, in 
great peril, and that her signals were unheeded by 
an inbound steamer passing by. There was great 
indignation. On a sudden, however, the matter was 
hushed up; the reason being that the passing steamer 
was a sister ship of the same line. There can be but 
one opinion as to the utter turpitude of such a 
course. But what shall be said of Christian people 
living in close fellowship with those whom they be- 
lieve to be in danger of spiritual and eternal death, 
members even of their own households, whom yet 
they warn not ? 

In the year 66, Festus, the governor at Csesarea, 
was visited by King Agrippa and his mistress, Ber- 
nice. For their entertainment Paul was brought out 
of his dungeon, wearing his chains, and required to 



234 A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 

display his eloquence. He did so with tremendous 
effect. He told the simple story of his conversion on 
the Damascus highway, of the sunburst that changed 
the whole tenor of his life, of the voice saying, "I am 
Jesus," of his blindness and the subsequent revelation 
of truth. And as he thus spoke, Festus said with a 
loud voice, "Paul thou art beside thyself; much 
learning doth make thee mad!" He answered, "I 
am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the 
words of truth and soberness. " Mad ? O, would to 
God there were more fanatics like Paul! The truths 
we profess are so solemn, the issues involved are so 
stupendous, that it seems as if, should we keep 
silence, the very stones must cry out. 

Just forty years ago a man arose in our Fulton 
Street prayer meeting, in the presence of a large 
assemblage of business men, and read these words, 
which he had written during the previous night: — 

" Where'er we meet, you always say, 
What's the news? what's the news? 

Pray what's the order of the day ? 
What's the news? what's the news? 

Oh ! I have got good news to tell ; 

My Saviour hath done all things well, 

And triumphed over death and hell, 
That's the news ! that's the news ! 

" The Lord has pardoned all my sin — 
That's the news ! that's the news ! 

I feel the witness now within — 
That's the news ! that's the news ! 

And since He took my sins away, 

And taught me how to watch and pray, 

I'm happy now from day to day — 
That's the news ! that's the news ! " 



A PLEA FOR FANATICISM. 235 

At this moment we are all profoundly interested in 
"the news." Our hearts are moved by rumors of 
approaching war; we can scarcely wait for the issues 
of the daily press. But to one who has really and 
adequately grasped the great verities of our religion, 
is there any current event to be compared with the 
tragedy on Golgotha ? or any happening that can so 
profoundly concern him as this revelation of God's 
mercy to his own soul ? 

A wave of patriotism sweeps over our country 
which has obliterated Mason and Dixon's line and 
united all our people in devotion to the Republic. 
The unfurling of the starry flag in any public place 
of assemblage is the signal for an immediate outburst 
of enthusiasm. Why not ? Is there any national 
emblem that can compare with it ? 

" When Freedom from her mountain height 
Unfurled her banner to the air, 
She tore the azure robe of night 
And set the stars of glory there ! " 

Ah, yes, friends, there is a standard dearer to our 
hearts than "Old Glory." We are enlisted under 
the red banner of the cross. It stands to us for truth 
and righteousness, for mercy and eternal life. If we 
love Christ, let us be loyal to it. Let not Sanballat 
and Tobiah laugh us out of oar convictions. Let us 
not be ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of 
God unto salvation to every one that believeth. 
Let us be true. Let us be in dead earnest. Let us 
be loyal to Christ! 



THE WITHERED HAND. 

"And he entered into the synagogue ; and there was a man there which 
had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on 
the Sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man 
which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful 
to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil ? to save life, or to kill ? But they 
held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, 
being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch 
forth thine hand. And he stretched it out : and his hand was restored whole 
as the other." — Mark 3, 1-6. 

The second year of our Lord's ministry was draw- 
ing to a close. The clouds were gathering dark 
about him. There was a widespread interest in his 
preaching; as it is written, "the common people 
heard him gladly." But the rulers were against 
him ; and not without reason. 

To begin with, he utterly failed to meet their cher- 
ished views of the Messiah. They expected him to 
come in royal state, but Jesus was the son of a car- 
penter; "a root out of a dry ground; he had no form 
nor comeliness that they should desire him." An- 
other reason for their opposition was his denunciation 
of their darling sins; for, in spite of their ceremonial 
sanctity, they were given to usury, uncleanness and 
a general disregard of the true spirit of the Moral 
Law. He found them parading before the people in 
broad phylacteries and with scriptural frontlets be- 
tween their eyes ; he cried, "Woe unto you, mask- 

(236; 



THE WITHERED HAND. 2$J 

wearers ! Ye are as whited sepulchres; fair without, 
but within full of dead men's bones and all unclean- 
ness." Little wonder that they opposed him ! More- 
over, he was "the friend of publicans and sinners." 
This was a notorious charge; and — the more shame — 
he apparently gloried in it. He said, "They that be 
whole need not a physician ; I am come to seek and 
to save the lost." The words with which he closed 
the parable of the Prodigal Son cut to the quick, — 
"For I say unto you, there is more joy in the pres- 
ence of the angels of God over one sinner that re- 
penteth, than over ninety and nine just persons that 
need no repentance." A still further offense was his 
claim of Godhood. He said, "I and my Father are 
one; " and again, " He that hath seen me hath seen 
the Father"; so, repeatedly, making himself equal 
with God. He claimed to forgive sin, which was 
plain blasphemy; as the Pharisees said, " Who but 
God hath power on earth to forgive sin ? " 

But the crowning offense of Jesus in their eyes was 
his contemptuous disregard of their Toldoth, or Sab- 
bath prescripts. The Sabbath was their fetish. They 
had made it a weariness to the people by adding a 
vast number of burdensome requirements. It was 
unlawful to walk upon the greensward on the Sab- 
bath, lest, the grass being in seed, the act should be 
construed as threshing. A radish must not be left in 
the salt, lest it should prove to be pickling on the 
Holy Day. A man must not feed his poultry more 
than was absolutely necessary, lest the remainder of 
the grain should germinate, and he might be justly 
charged with sowing. The Lord Jesus had no pa- 
tience with these Toldoth j he said to the Pharisees, 



238 THE WITHERED HAND. 

" Ye have made the law to be of none effect by your 
vain traditions " ; and again, "Ye lade men with bur- 
dens grievous to be borne." 

On the morning of the Sabbath of our context he 
had permitted his disciples, as they were passing 
through the fields, to pluck the ears of grain and 
rub them in their hands. They were called to an 
account for this as a specific violation of the Sabbath 
law. He vindicated them in a brief reply, concluding 
with the words, "The Sabbath was made for man, 
and not man for the Sabbath ; wherefore, the Son of 
Man is Lord also of the Sabbath." 

It was the afternoon of the same day when he 
entered into the synagogue; a great company was 
assembled ; and there was a man there with a with- 
ered hand. The enemies of Jesus watched him — 
for, knowing his humanity, they expected him to heal 
this man, despite their traditional prohibition. He 
perceived what was in their hearts and said indig- 
nantly, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, 
or to do evil ? to save life, or to plot murder as ye are 
doing now ? " And they held their peace; for what 
could they say ? He looked round on them with 
indignation, being grieved for the hardness of their 
hearts; and then he healed the man. 

What is the lesson ? For, let it be understood, the 
miracles are not mere singular acts of healing; they 
are acted parables, for the setting forth of spiritual 
truth. We know what Jesus meant when he fed the 
five thousand: "I am the living bread which came 
down from heaven, of which if a man eat he shall 
never hunger." We know what he meant when he 
wiped away the leper's spots: "Come now, let us 



THE WITHERED HAND. 239 

reason together; though your sins be as scarlet, they 
shall be white as snow; and though they be red 
like crimson, they shall be as wool." We know what 
he meant by the raising of Lazarus from the dead: 
" I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth 
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and 
whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. 
But what is the meaning here ? 

(1) This miracle teaches, at the outset, the compas- 
sion of Jesus. The man who had the withered hand 
is said, in one of the Apocryphal gospels, to have 
been a stone-mason, with a wife and children depend- 
ent upon him. It was a case indeed to move a com- 
passionate heart. Our Lord pities all the distressed. 
If the roofs of our city were to be lifted, we should 
hide our eyes at the pitiful sight. O, the pain and 
sorrow! The multitudes who toss on beds of lan- 
guishing ; the shame, the despair, the breaking 
hearts ! But the roofs are lifted before him ; and he 
sees and pities all. 

(2) It teaches, also, the true spirit of Sabbath observ- 
ance. There are foolish people who hold that Jesus 
swept away the sanctions of the Fourth Command- 
ment. How grievously they misunderstand him ! 

Let us hear a parable of the Lord of the Castle. 
He went his way and sojourned for a season in a far 
country. On his return he found a fantastic group 
of harlequins in possession of his mansion. They 
had set up their implements of jugglery in its cham- 
bers, and hung their fantastic banners on its outer 
walls. They had permitted thorns and thistles to 
grow along its garden paths, and had collected heaps 
of rubbish in its gates. He was filled with indigna- 



240 THE WITHERED HAND. 

tion, and cried, "Away with these implements of 
your magic! Tear down yon banners! Clear out 
the garden paths, and remove the foul debris from 
the gates! " Was this destruction ? Nay, it was res- 
toration. So did our Lord cry out against the Tol- 
doth, the "vain traditions" of the elders, because 
they had made the Sabbath a burden and weariness 
to the people. As Lord of the Sabbath, he claimed 
the right to restore the sanctions of the original 
law. 

(3) But there is another lesson here, which I desire 
to emphasize particularly, as to our relation to great 
spiritual truths. The Lord spoke twice to the man 
with the withered hand, and both words were unnec- 
essary to the work of healing: "Stand forth," and 
"Stretch forth thy hand." Both were intended to 
stimulate the man to self-exertion. Our Master's 
teaching on this, as on other occasions, was like the 
blast of a pibroch in the Scottish hills above a sleep- 
ing village. We are all too dull and apathetic; he 
comes to awaken, to invigorate and stimulate us. 

I. "Stand forth;" literally, " Forth into the midst! " 
This meant publicity. The man was here subjected 
to a trying ordeal; for chronic sufferers are usually 
diffident. Nevertheless, the Master did not spare 
him. " Forth into the midst!" It suggests that the 
religion of Jesus is not for the cloister. God's reme- 
dies are sunlight and mountain air. The Christian 
is not called to be a silent cenobite, but above all a 
man among men. 

(a) He who seeks salvation is required at the outset 
to make a frank acknowledgment of sin and an open 
confession of his belief that Christ can save him; for 



THE WITHERED HAND. 241 

" with the heart man believeth unto righteousness 
and with the mouth confession is made unto salva- 
tion. " Is this unreasonable ? Christ in our behalf was 
nailed upon a tree, the tree was raised upon a hill, 
the hill overlooked the city; so that he was made a 
gazing-stock before all. 

"Jesus, and shall it ever be, 
A mortal man ashamed of thee ? 
Ashamed of Jesus? yes, I may, 
When I've no guilt to wash away, 
No tear to wipe, no good to crave, 
No fears to quell, no soul to save. 
Till then — nor is my boasting vain — 
Till then I boast a Saviour slain ; 
And O, may this my glory be, 
That Christ is not ashamed of me." 

{b) So in the building of character. As Christians 
we are eager to grow in grace and in the knowledge 
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There is noth- 
ing nobler than this aspiration ; yet, to our shame be 
it said, we are oftentimes loath to acknowledge it. 
You have seen young artists in the gallery of the 
Louvre, seated before such masterpieces as " Ecce 
Homo," or "The Immaculate Conception," labori- 
ously copying every line. Did they blush to have it 
known that they were trying to catch the spirit of the 
illustrious masters ? Why should we be reluctant 
to show our earnestness in the imitation of Christ ? 
There is nothing better than character, and the sum- 
mit of character is Christ-likeness. 

" Howe'er it be, it seems to me, 
'Tis only noble to be good." 

(c) And furthermore, in Christian service. We are 



242 THE WITHERED HAND. 

too fearful of being thought over-zealous or fanatical. 
We have much to say of modest service and of quiet 
ministry. We lay great emphasis on the Master's 
words, "And thou, when thou prayest, enter into 
thy closet and shut to the door; " and, " When thou 
doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right 
hand doeth." There is indeed a time to go alone 
into the trysting-place and to hide our beneficence 
from human eyes; but there is also a time to brave 
publicity in doing good. Remember the word of the 
Lord Jesus how he said: "Let your light so shine 
before men, that they may see your good works and 
glorify God." 

At the battle of Cassova the impetuous Bajazet, 
seeing a circle of baggage-wagons and kneeling 
camels arranged as a breastwork, cried out, "Have 
the sons of Othman ever feared to meet their enemies 
face to face ? Shall we, who have conquered Asia, 
shelter ourselves behind our camels ? Are such arti- 
fices worthy of a divine cause ? " It is proper to 
inquire if much of our assumption of modesty is not 
a mere subterfuge of cowardice. How else shall we 
account for the multitude of professed Christians who 
stand idle in the market-place while the fields are 
yellow for the sickle ? Is it more reprehensible to be 
a zealot than a good-for-naught ? Let us prove our 
sincerity and earnestness by working in the open. 
Forth into the midst, O disciples of Christ! 

II. "Stretch forth thy hand.'" It need scarcely be 
said that Jesus could have accomplished his purpose 
without requiring any personal effort on the part of 
this man. Not only so, but the thing which he 
demanded was impossible ; for the word rendered 



THE WITHERED HAND. 243 



n 



hand " is comprehensive and includes the entire 

arm. The man might have answered, "Good Rabbi, 

how canst thou say, 'Stretch forth thy hand? ' Dost 

thou know paralysis ? Every nerve and tendon here 

is atrophied. In vain have I sought to move my 

arm. If I lift it with my left hand, thus, behold, it 

falls again as if it were dead. 'Stretch it forth!' 

Nay, Rabbi, that were impossible; surely thou mock- 

.. est me." Nevertheless, it is written, "He stretched 

4 > it forth. " How could that be ? "God helps those who > 

help themselves." He makes no unjust exaction. 

' ' He ever gives power with the effort to obey him. 

Sin is paralysis. Mind, conscience, heart,— -the 
whole moral nature is atrophied. 

" Our weakness in this emblem, we, 
Our total inability 
Of doing good, may find." 

Nevertheless we are required to use mind, con- 
science and heart in holy endeavor; and God enables 
us to do this. Here is the token of his wise good- 
ness: that he makes us, by an infinite condescension, 
co-laborers with himself in our restoration and up- 
building. We dwarf our children, in mistaken kind- 
ness, by doing everything for them. God stimulates 
us by this word, "Do for yourself, and I will work 
with you.'' 

(a) At the beginning of the Christian life we are 
required to believe. This is the condition of life. 
Let us say that God could deliver us without any 
effort of our own; he does not deliver us in that way. 
No truth of Scripture is clearer than that he has 
affixed the condition of personal faith to the gift of 



244 TH E WITHERED HAND. 

eternal life. We must stretch forth our hand to 
accept the gift, else we shall not receive it. God 
might have healed the serpent-bitten Israelites with a 
gracious word; he did indeed, but that word was a 
call to effort, "Look and live!" Our Lord was 
pleased to use this as a silhouette of the plan of sal- 
vation: "For as Moses lifted up the serpent in the 
wilderness, so also must the Son of Man be lifted up; 
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish 
but have eternal life." 

(b) And again, in character-building. God could 
doubtless create a perfect saint in the moment of 
conversion, were he so disposed; as Minerva is 
said to have sprung full-armed and panoplied from 
the forehead of Jove. But, instead, he is pleased to 
call us into a splendid fellowship with himself in the 
working out of character. We are adjured to "work 
out our own salvation with fear and trembling, be- 
cause it is God that worketh in us." It is precisely 
as when a father sets up his son in business. He 
buys a stock of goods and says, "Now, my son, I 
have given you a start; work this out, until you shall 
make a competence or a fortune for yourself. Mean- 
while, I will stand by you; should you be involved 
in difficulty, call on me." Our conversion is merely 
a start in the great business of life. God says to us 
then, "Work out your salvation to the very utter- 
most." For salvation is more than a mere deliver- 
ance from the penalty of death; it comprehends all 
the graces of character and all the vast possibilities 
of usefulness. In the attainment of these we are 
assured that God will co-operate with us. How 
kind, how gracious, how conducive to the highest 



THE WITHERED HAND. 245 

development of our own powers, is this condescen- 
sion on our Father's part ! How it exalts our man- 
hood to be thus assured that we are " laborers 
together with God!" 

(c) And, still further, in Christian service. The 
same God who caused light to shine in chaos, might, 
no doubt, at any moment illuminate our sin-stricken 
world by a similar fiat, "Let there be light!" But in- 
stead, he has wisely chosen to use us in the work of 
his kingdom; that is, in the restitution of all things. 
Our Lord said to his disciples, "As the Father hath 
sent me into the world, so send I you." And after his 
crucifixion he returned and said again, "All power is 
given to me in heaven and on earth ; go ye, therefore, 
and declare the evangel." Oh, the riches of the 
wisdom and grace of God ! Blessed be his name, 
that he thus dignifies our humanity in calling us into 
copartnership with himself. The world waits for us 
to appreciate and grasp the high honor. The world 
lieth in darkness, groaning and travailing, until we 
shall apprehend not the duty merely, nor the grave 
responsibility, but the sublime privilege of joining 
with God in restoring the nations to truth and right- 
eousness, and in bringing in the Golden Age. 

Let us be grateful to-day, if the words of our 
Master have stirred any compunctions within us. For 
pain is the antithesis of palsy. Did you ever awake 
in the middle of the night to find that your arm was 
asleep ? You were alarmed; because you knew that 
men are sometimes stricken with palsy in the night. 
You rubbed your arm briskly until you felt a tingling ; 
and then you knew that all was well. "Woe to them 
that are at ease in Zion. " Blessed is the man who feels 



246 THE WITHERED HAND. 

his infirmity, and deeply longs for a better and nobler 
life. 

Finally, let our awakened energies be newly con- 
secrated to Christ. It is safe to say that, when this 
man of Capernaum went out of the synagogue he 
never again thought of his restored hand in the same 
way. It was thenceforth Christ's hand. It grasped 
the trowel to do honest work for the Master who had 
healed it. It ministered to the poor, for Jesus' sake. 
We profess to be Christians; we are sinners saved by 
grace. We are healed of impotence, body and soul, 
hands and feet, by the power of Christ. What shall 
we say, then ? Let us glorify God with our bodies 
and spirits, which are his. " Take my life and let it 
be consecrated, Lord, to thee ! " 



THE BEACON ON BETH - HACCEREM. 

" O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of 
Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Beth 
haccerem : for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction." — J ere 
miah 6, i. 

To Jeremiah was assigned the unpleasant duty of 
bewailing the sins of the nation and giving notice of 
coming retribution. " O that my head were waters," 
he cried, " and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I 
might weep day and night for the slain of the daugh- 
ter of my people ! " It was a time of apparent pros- 
perity. The religious leaders were much devoted to 
the superficial forms of the ceremonial law ; they 
complacently said, "The temple of the Lord, the 
temple of the Lord are we ! " But the prophet must 
needs utter his note of warning. He represents Is- 
rael as "a comely and delicate woman," adorning her- 
self, simpering, posing for adulation ; while her 
priests and princes, like lovers, congratulate her, say- 
ing, "Peace, peace." Meanwhile, the Chaldean 
army appears in the prophet's vision, sweeping 
downward along the northern roads, its banners wav- 
ing, its horses like eagles. They come to kill and 
spoil as a grape-gatherer enters his vineyard, basket 
in hand. And alas ! Israel heeds it not ! The sound 
of the trumpet is now heard on the summit of Tekoa. 

(247) 



248 THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 

On high Beth-haccerem the signal-fire streams up- 
ward into the night. " Peace ? " cries the prophet ; 
"there is no peace, but war ; dark, bitter, bloody, 
relentless war ! " 

The people of America are apparently on the verge 
of portentous events. The sky is red and lowering. 
It is the part of wisdom to observe the signs of the 
times. Let us stand for a while under Beth-haccerem 
and, in the light of that flaming beacon, meditate on 
War. 

I. // is an awful Fact. Milton says: 

"... Black it stood as night, 
Fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell, 
And shook a dreadful dart." 

On a May morning in 1879 General Skobeleff visited 
the battlefield of Shipka Pass. A year had passed 
since the close of the Turco-Russian war. He paused 
and uncovered at a wooden cross, marking the grave of 
a heroic standard-bearer. Then he silently surveyed 
the field. The snow was melting; the shallow graves 
had been uncovered by the sweeping winds of winter, 
and dogs and wolves had wrought grim havoc. Here 
and there were torn uniforms and human bones. He 
said to his aide-de-camp, " See how these skulls are 
grinning at us." Then, after a pause, he added: 

" The drying-up a single tear has more 

Of honest fame than shedding seas of gore." 

The Duke of Wellington said, "There is only one 
thing in the world more melancholy than a battle 
lost ; that is, a battle won." And a greater than 
Wellington — whose fame is destined to grow brighter 
with advancing time — at the close of a military career 



THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 249 

marked by singular success, left this word as his best 
heritage to prosperity, " Let us have peace ! " 

II. If the History of War could be adequately writ- 
ten, what a red chronicle it would be ! 

(1) It came in with sin. The first proclamation of 
war was also the first prophecy of ultimate peace. It 
was the protevangel ; in which God said to the ser- 
pent, ' ' / will put enmity betiueen thee and the woman, and 
between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and 
thou shall bruise his heel. " The author of this procla- 
mation was God Almighty; but the instigator of war 
is the Prince of Darkness. It is his flaming torch; 
it is his dripping sword. God is the Author and 
Promoter of Peace; but God's peace is only to be 
accomplished by the overthrow of Satan and the 
extirpation of sin. 

(2) War has been as constant as the succession of 
time. I see the form of a man passing out of the 
primeval shadows, wielding a bludgeon stained with 
gore. It is Cain; the red mark on his forehead; his 
hand against every man. — I see the enemies of truth 
and righteousness falling in behind him and march- 
ing down the ages. — I hear the clash of arms in the 
vale of Siddim where Abraham, the father of the 
faithful, has gone out against the kings of Canaan 
for the rescue of his kinsman. — I hear the battle-song 
of Miriam and her daughters beside the sea: " Who 
is like unto our God, glorious in holiness, fearful in 
praises, doing wonders ! " — I see the hosts of Israel 
arrayed against Og of Bashan and Sihon of the 
Amorites, contending for their homes, wives and 
children, life and freedom. — In quick succession 
come the judges, Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar with his 



250 THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 

ox-goad, Barak with Deborah raising the anthem, 
" The stars in their courses fought against Sisera ! " 
Gideon andjephthah; and Samson lifting his rude 
battle-song, " Heaps upon heaps, masses on masses, 
a thousand men !" — Then the procession of the 
kings: Saul casting away his dishonored shield on 
the heights of Gilboa; David lamenting, as countless 
parents have bewailed their slain in succeeding ages, 
"O Absalom, my son, my son! would God that I 
had died for thee ! " — Now Israel marches against 
her barbaric foes ; again the tribes are arrayed against 
each other; but always war, war, war, until at length 
it rages fiercely at the very gates of doomed Jerusa- 
lem! — Then long processions of captives are led in 
chains toward the East, where, hanging their harps 
on the willows, they weep when they remember Zion. 
The Old Economy closes thus amid the clang of 
weapons and rattle of chains. Its glories fade into 
the twilight of the exile, and then into deep darkness, 
as of an Egyptian night. 

But now the Sun of Righteousness arises with heal- 
ing in his wings. Surely war will cease forever at 
the coming of the Christ. For is not his name 
Shiloh, "Prince of Peace"? Was ever a sweeter 
birth-song than this: "Glory to God in the highest; 
on earth peace, good will toward men"? Was ever 
a more irenic proclamation than his Golden Rule? 
Was ever a more pronounced "peace policy" than 
that which he marked out for his Church on the 
last night of his earthly life, " Put up thy sword into 
the sheath ; for they that take the sword shall perish 
by it"? 

But the coming of Christ by no means meant an 



THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 25 1 

immediate cessation of war. That was indeed its 
ultimate purpose; but the thing which he instantly 
did was to rend the Theocracy asunder. Up to this 
time the union of Church and State had been perfect 
and absolute in the Theocracy; now they were sepa- 
rated. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this 
world." Henceforth Church and State were intended 
to go down through history in parallel lines, each as 
a divinely ordained power doing its own appointed 
work in its own appointed way. The Church was 
commissioned to evangelize the nations, using no 
weapon but "the sword of the Spirit which is the 
Word of God." The State, however, was still bur- 
dened with the responsibility of carrying on the great 
conflict against the Prince of Darkness, meeting fire 
with fire on the high places of the field. 

"We see Nero, accordingly, at the beginning of the 
Christian era, unsheathing his sword against the fol- 
lowers of Christ. Constantine goes out under the 
red-cross banner against Maxentius, the herdsman 
emperor. Kings and dynasties rise and fall; but the 
struggle goes on. It is still war, war unceasing. 
There is an inevitable and irrepressible antagonism 
between truth and error, light and darkness, civiliza- 
tion and barbarism. When shall the end be ? 

(3) The end can only come with the overthrow of 
sin. No makeshifts or subterfuges can avail. When 
arbitration has done its best, there are still questions 
which can only be submitted to the grim tribunal that 
meets on the embattled field. No temporary arrange- 
ment can extirpate a deep-rooted evil. Lincoln said 
truly, " Nothing is settled until it is settled right." 
Right and wrong cannot be compromised. No earthly 



252 THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 

court can intervene between Jehovah and the Prince 
of Darkness. No earthly government can heal the 
rupture between tyranny and oppressed humanity 
with an armistice. Let the issue be joined : and God 
defend the right! 

In an old-time fable it is related that a wolf came 
to the flock saying, "Why need there be enmity be- 
tween us? The trouble is with those wicked dogs. If 
you will but muzzle the dogs, all will be well." The 
dogs were muzzled; and, lo, the sheep were at the 
mercy of the wolf. As between the sheep and the 
wolf a truce, however fair-seeming, is always danger- 
ous. It is the business of Christian governments to 
defend the right, to champion the weak, to lay siege 
to the strongholds of iniquity and batter them down; 
and this must go on until the head of the serpent is 
mortally bruised, and until (to use the figure of the 
Psalmist) iniquity is shaken out of the earth like 
crumbs out of a napkin. 

The last proclamation of war will summon the na- 
tions to Armageddon. The Prince of Peace, in gar- 
ments stained with blood, will lead his white-clad 
cohorts to the field. The world will tremble beneath 
the clash of arms. Amid the rattle of chains, the Red 
Dragon will be hurled into the bottomless pit. Then 
earth and heaven will join in the shout, "Babylon 
the great is fallen, is fallen!" and the reign of 
"peace with honor" will begin upon the earth. 

III. As to the Ethics of War. It will probably not 
be questioned that most of the bloodshed in history 
has been for insufficient cause. In Southey's poem 
on "The Battle of Blenheim," a scarred veteran tells 
the story to a wondering lad : 



THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 253 

" 'And everybody praised the Duke 
Who that great fight did win." 

' But what good came of it at last ? 
Quoth little Peterkin. 

'Why, that I cannot tell,' said he, 

1 But 'twas a famous victory.' " 

It is never justifiable to make war for selfish ends. The 
duello for the vindication of honor is as questionable 
in governmental as in personal affairs. The real dig- 
nity of men and nations can stand much hammering. 
To fight for the avenging of a real or fancied affront 
is usually to pay "too dear for one's whistle." The 
wars that have been waged for personal glory are an 
ineffaceable blot on the history of our race. In the 
Wierts gallery at Brussels there is a picture called 
"The Welcome of Napoleon to Hell." As the great 
commander enters the gate he is met by a leering 
company of his victims, some with scarred faces, 
others with handless arms ; and haggard mothers 
holding up their dead infants to greet the author of 
their woes. And this is " glory." — Nor can anything 
better be said for wars of conquest. Was it wrong 
for Ahab to seize on Naboth's vineyard as an annex 
to the royal garden ? Then, manifold more, is it 
wrong for Russia and Germany and England to 
hover along the shores of China awaiting an opportu- 
nity to add new territory to their vast domains. Is it 
said, by way of counterpoise, that God authorized 
the conquest of Canaan ? There never was such a 
"conquest." The word is a misnomer. The children 
of Israel went up from Egypt to recover a land which, 
by virtue of previous occupancy, already belonged to 
them. 



254 THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 

// is right, on occasion, to wage war in self-defense. A 
man who, finding a burglar or ravisher in his apart- 
ments at night, will not defend himself and his house- 
hold, is something less than human. By the same 
token, the people of Leyden were justified in resist- 
ing the Spanish siege. Let them hurl down stones 
upon their enemies! Let them pour blazing pitch 
on their heads! Self-defense is the first law of na- 
ture. And this is true of nations as of men. 

// is right, also, to make war for principle. The Vau- 
dois, the Huguenots, the Beggars of Holland, the 
Puritans, are justly honored for adventuring all in 
defense of great verities which were dearer than life. 
In our single century of American history we have 
had two magnificent wars. One of them was pro- 
voked by an unjust stamp law. Shall the sword then 
be drawn to resist a mere tax upon tea? Aye; for 
over against that small imposition is the manifesto, 
"No taxation without representation"; and within 
that manifesto is the living germ of civil and ecclesi- 
astical freedom. Our other war was for the over- 
throw of slavery. A million men were slain ; a thou- 
sand millions of money were sunk in an ocean of 
blood. But it was a splendid investment. It was in 
direct pursuance of the mission of Christ himself, 
who came to break all chains and bid the oppressed 
go free. 

Noblest of all is the war for humanity. It asks no 
vindication. Men and nations are at their best when 
striving for the defense of the weak and helpless. 
When Moses had smitten an Egyptian in sudden an- 
ger, God suffered him to be driven away to the des- 
ert of Midian. But forty years after, the Lord met 



THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 255 

him there at the burning bush and said, " The time 
has come. The cry of my people has come unto mine 
ears. Go, deliver them, and I will be with thee! " 

At this moment we are praying for divine guidance 
in our relations with Spain. The sinking of a man- 
of-war though done with malignant intent, is an 
offense that might possibly better be overlooked than 
avenged. But there are other considerations which 
go deeper far. For three years the armies of Spain 
have desolated the neighboring island of Cuba. We 
are the one great nation of the Western World, and 
it is for us to say whether or no this shall continue. 
We cannot evade the responsibility. It is unthink- 
able that God should desire us, a Christian people, 
to speak no word, to lift no hand, while massacre, 
with an indescribable accompaniment of famine and 
pestilence, goes on for years under our very eyes. 

A scene of dramatic interest was witnessed in the 
Senate last Tuesday when Mr. Thurston spoke on 
the Cuban situation. He referred to the fact that 
"not less than four hundred thousand simple, peace- 
able, defenseless country people had been driven from 
their homes and imprisoned upon the barren wastes 
outside the Cuban cities." "A conservative estimate 
indicates that two hundred and ten thousand of peo- 
ple have perished from starvation." " In the mean- 
time the government of Spain has not contributed 
one dollar to house, shelter, feed or provide medical 
attendance for these sufferers." The speaker said, 
after a somewhat circumstantial statement of the 
horrors of the Spanish invasion, "I shall refer to 
these things no further. They are there. God pity 
me, I have seen them ! They will remain in my mind 



256 THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 

forever. And this is almost the twentieth century! 
Christ died nineteen hundred years ago, and Spain 
is a Christian nation ; she has set up more crosses, in 
more lands, beneath more skies, and under them has 
butchered more people than all the other nations of 
the earth. Europe may tolerate her existence as long 
as the people of the Old World wish. God grant 
that before another Christmas morning the last vest- 
ige of Spanish tyranny and oppression shall have 
vanished from the Western hemisphere!" Is there 
one among us who will not cordially echo that wish ? 
It is granted that intervention on our part may mean 
war with Spain. But what are Christian governments 
for, aside from the protection of their own peoples, if 
not to vindicate the rights of humanity and protect 
the weak ? This is the very essence of Christianity 
as I understand it. 

" In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, 
With a glory in His bosom that transfigured you and me; 
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free; 
For God is marching on." 

IV. War can be co?icluded only by the evangelization of 
the world. The nations must first acknowledge by 
common consent that the Lord is God. 

Meanwhile the two great powers, State and Church, 
must proceed along parallel lines, doing their ap- 
pointed work. If the Church had been loyal to her 
responsibilities, the State would long ago have been 
relieved of all necessity for making war. 

Let us be grateful that God's people are beginning 
to realize, in some measure, the importance of the 
Great Commission. The Church is mobilizing her 
forces every day. I recently stood in the presence of 



THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 257 

a great convention of " student volunteers. " There 
were forty college presidents, three hundred and 
sixty professors of various educational institutions, 
and more than two thousand students, pledged to go 
forth for the evangelization of the world. A like 
assemblage would have been impossible at any former 
period in history. It means that the Bride of God, 
so long asleep in the city gates, is hearing at length 
the Bridegroom's voice, "Awake! awake, O Zion ! 
Shake thyself from the dust and put on thy beautiful 
garments." 

At a single session of our national legislature, re- 
cently, an appropriation of fifty millions of money 
was voted without a dissenting voice, for purposes of 
war. If God's people, as they are represented in the 
Christian churches, would, with corresponding una- 
nimity and enthusiasm, set apart an equal sum for 
the purposes of Christian conquest, we should be 
able to build, forthwith, a church on every hilltop, a 
Christian school in every valley, with bell-towers at 
such frequent intervals that the chimes of Shiloh's 
coming should ring in unbroken melody around the 
world. 

War will cease when Jesus comes to reign. It is 
for the Christian Church to say when that shall be. 
In that consummation of history the prophecy of 
Zechariah shall be fulfilled. He saw the Captain of 
our salvation standing among the myrtle-trees; and 
behind him an angel troop. "Who are these ? " the 
prophet asked. " We have returned," they answered, 
" from going up and down in the earth; and, behold, 
the whole earth is at rest! " But the end is not yet. 
"Watchman, what of the night?" And the watch- 



258 THE BEACON ON BETH-HACCEREM. 

man said, "The night cometh ! " Alas! the night 
seamed with the lightnings of hatred and bloody 
strife. "But the morning, also!" God's truce is 
coming, the daybreak of peace and good -will on 
earth. 

May he hasten it in his time! Then shall be heard 
again the primal chorus, silenced so long amid the 
clash of arms, in which the morning stars sang 
together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. 



A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. 

" So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. 
And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When 
he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him. 
and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son : for he was at 
the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him. Except ye see signs and won- 
ders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere 
my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way ; thy son liveth. And the man 
believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And 
as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy 
son liveth. Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And 
they said unto him. Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the 
father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, 
Thy son liveth : and himself believed and his whole house."— John 4, 46-53. 

I have something to say about Faith. We speak of 
the doctrine of Justification by Faith as the "article 
of a standing or a falling church " ; it is more, it is 
the article of a living or a dying soul. We are saved 
by faith in Jesus Christ. You say, "It is Christ 
himself who saves ; to him alone be the glory! " 
True. He is our Saviour; but faith is the instru- 
mental cause. It is on this wise : A railway train is 
waiting to be drawn to Albany. The engine is ready 
and quite competent; but it must be coupled with 
the cars or they will never reach their destination. 
Christ saves; but faith is the coupler that binds us in 
vital union with him. 

" The just shall live by faith." This is the truth 
that came, like a sunburst, to the soul of Luther as 
he was climbing Sancta Scala, trusting in penance and 

(259) 



260 A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. 

self-righteousness. — " This is the victory that over- 
cometh the world, even your faith/' If ever we 
enter the gates of the heavenly city, it will be with 
the banner of faith flying over us. 

But what is faith ? The Latin word is fides ; w T hich 
we have in "diffidence " and "confidence"; the for- 
mer denoting the minimum, and the latter the maxi- 
mum, of faith. The word in the Hebrew is cognate 
with Ame?t, — which to our every prayer affixes the 
seal of personal emphasis. Faith is "substance"; 
faith is " evidence " (Heb. n, i). There are various 
kinds and measures of faith. At this point we call in 
a certain nobleman* of Capernaum to help us. 

First. The Faith of Hearsay. The child of this 
nobleman is lying at the point of death. A passer-by 
in the narrow street sees shadows crossing the win- 
dow; he gives the matter but a heedless thought; 
sickness is so commonplace. But it makes a great 
difference which side of that window you are on. 
Turning the leaves of a book but yesterday, I came 
upon these words : 

" We watched her breathing through the night, 
Her breathing soft and low ; 
As in her breast the wave of life 
Kept heaving to and fro." 

On the margin was written, " July 4, 1880, 1 a.m." 
O melancholy date! The next morning the shadow 
was over the home. 

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. 
It is an easy matter for those who have passed 
through a similar experience, to imagine the anxiety 

*It is conjectured with much probability that this nobleman was Chuza, 
whose wife, Joanna, was a devoted follower of Jesus (Luke 8, 3). This opin 
n is held by Trench, Lightfoot, Chemnitz and others. 



A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. 26 1 

of tnat sickroom at Capernaum. The mother sat 
watching by the little sufferer; stroking his hair, 
bathing his fevered lips. Near by stood our noble- 
man. He was steward in the king's palace. He had 
wealth and influence, but they were unavailing here. 
The family physician had done his best. Perhaps a 
consultation had been held ; and the leeches had 
shaken their heads ominously. " The black camel 
knelt for his burden." No hope! 

Presently the father said, "Wife, it is rumored 
that your Nazarene rabbi has come again into Gali- 
lee and is now at Cana. " 

"Jesus at Cana? O husband, if you could but see 
him! He has power to heal. You do not believe; but 
indeed he has wrought many wonderful works. Go, I 
pray you, and entreat him to heal our little lad." 

" I will send a servant," he said. " It is a long 
journey; and who knows whether he can help us ? 
But it can do no harm. I will send and entreat him." 

" Nay, nay, Chuza; go thyself and see him face to 
face. He will not refuse thee! " 

It was a journey of twenty miles, and up hill all 
the way. But, hoping against hope, the nobleman 
went. And, as he journeyed, he reasoned within 
himself : "I greatly fear this is a fool's errand. It is 
hard to believe that the Nazarene carpenter can suc- 
ceed in a case where the court physicians have failed. 
It would indeed require a miracle; and only the un- 
learned believe in miracles. Nevertheless, to please 
my beloved wife, I will appeal to him. Who knows? 
Perhaps some good may come of it." 

In the meantime the faithful Joanna, watching by 
the bedside of the little patient, knelt again and 



262 A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. 

again, praying, "O God, bless my husband on his 
errand. Let Jesus heed his request. And let my 
dear man see the beauty and the power of Christ, 
and learn to love and follow him." 

Shall we blame this nobleman for his little faith ? 
There were many difficulties in the way. To begin 
with, Cana and Capernaum were so far apart. A 
physician must needs come to the bedside and make 
his diagnosis, feel the patient's pulse and prescribe 
the remedy then and there. How was Chuza to know 
that Jesus was superior to all limitations of time and 
space ? Indeed his child so critically ill might have 
passed away ere now. How was he to know that 
Jesus loved to exercise his superhuman skill on des- 
perate cases ? There were rumors, indeed, of his 
healing chronic invalids, bedridden cripples, lepers 
and demoniacs; but these rumors must be taken with 
a grain of allowance. As yet Chuza had nothing but 
the faith of hearsay. Seeing is believing. He will 
trust nothing short of the testimony of his senses. 
So the courtier probably reasoned along the way. 

All of us have the faith of hearsay. What shall be 
done with it ? We have heard of Jesus from our 
mothers' lips. We have read in our Bibles the story 
of his wonderful life. We have listened to the 
preaching of his gospel for years. The whole world 
is talking about Jesus. His name and renown are in 
the air. Thus all have the faith of hearsay. But 
what shall be done with it ? Let us live up to it, as 
Chuza did. Let us go to Cana and, face to face with 
Jesus, confirm the rumor, or refute it. This is the 
part of wise men. 

Second. — The Faith of Approach, or of personal 



A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. 263 

audience with Christ. It was seven o'clock in the 
evening when the nobleman reached Cana. He found 
Jesus, probably, in the home of Nathanael, convers- 
ing with his friends. At once he said, "Come down, 
and heal my child! " No words were wasted in cere- 
mony ; a matter of life and death is heedless of conven- 
tionality. No door-bell gets such hard usage as that 
of the physician. An anxious heart forgets punctilio. 

And Jesus said, "Except ye see signs and wonders, 
ye will not believe." Here is a commingling of 
rebuke and encouragement. The man, however, 
was in no mood for didactics. It was true, indeed, 
that his faith, lacking the confirmation of signs and 
wonders, was only a broken reed ; but his impor- 
tunity used it like a scepter. The vision of his little 
son burning with fever was before his eyes. 

"Sir, come down," he cried, "ere my child die!" 
The heart of the compassionate Christ was touched. 
What could he do ? 

"And he saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son 
liveth! " 

And the man believed the word that Jesus had 
spoken unto him, and he went his way. He seems 
to have had no misgivings. He went his way at a 
leisurely pace, not reaching Capernaum until the 
next day. "He that believeth, shall not make 
haste." He took Jesus at his word. Dictum, 
factum. The word of the Master was enough for 
him. He tarried at an inn somewhere that night. 
As he lay down to rest, he may have soliloquized on 
this wise: " I cannot account for it; but I feel quite 
sure that my little lad is delivered from death. There 
was something in the face of Jesus which inspires me 



264 A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. 

with a great confidence. A most singular man! 
Who can he be ? Is Joanna right ? Is he the very 
Son of God ? " 

And while Chuza sleeps at the inn, lulled to rest by 
his confidence, let us observe that he has graduated 
from the faith of hearsay and come into that clearer 
confidence which is reached only by looking into the 
face of Jesus. An earnest man, realizing that the 
great question is, "What think ye of Christ ? " will 
not be satisfied with rumors. The part of reason is 
to seek a personal interview; and we can always meet 
Jesus at the mercy-seat and confer with him. 

Do you want anything ? Our life is a bundle of 
wants. John Quincy Adams, quoting the familiar 
lines — 

" One wants but little here below, 
Nor wants that little long," 

was moved to add, 

" 'Tis not with me exactly so, 
Though 'tis so in the song." 

We are doubtless all of a similar mind. We want 
health, vigor, long life, influence, wealth, pleasure, 
wisdom, friends, reputation, life, everything. Our 
faculties are like the family of the horse-leech, all 
daughters, and every one crying, "Give! Give!" 
Eyes and ears, hands, palate and heart, are ever 
unsatisfied. 

There is one alone who can supply our need. Go 
tell it to Jesus. Make a clean breast of it. If your 
desire is wrong, he will kindly reason with you; if 
right, he will exceed your fondest hope. Do not be 
over-particular as to your liturgy. " Come down! " 
said the nobleman. It was brief and abrupt; but 



A CERTAIN NOBL-EMAN. 265 

Jesus knew. Be sincere and in earnest. You are 
bearing a burden; he can lift it. You are discour- 
aged ; he can bind a girdle of strength about your 
ioins. You are under conviction of sin, oppressed 
with "a certain fearful looking-for of judgment." I 
congratulate you, my friend ; you are not far from the 
kingdom of heaven. But do not make the mistake 
of trying to save yourself. Do not let the adversary 
get the better of you with suggestions of personal 
merit. "Go and tell Jesus." Cry earnestly unto him. 
He loves the cry of a returning prodigal more than 
all the ?7iisereres of the chanting Pharisees. He will 
say, "Go in peace; thy sins be forgiven thee!" 

Third. — The Faith of Experience. It was bright 
and early the next morning when the nobleman 
arose. He set out upon his journey with an acceler- 
ated step; he had confidence that his son was healed; 
but, with a father's love, he longed to meet him. As 
he drew near to Capernaum, he saw in the distance 
some of his servants approaching; they had been sent 
out doubtless by his faithful wife to reassure him. 
We should expect him to ask, "What of the lad ?" 
But he says nothing. The servants, impatient of 
delay, cry aloud, "Thy son liveth!" He manifests 
no surprise; it is just as he expected. 

"Tell me," he inquires, "the hour when he began 
to amend." 

"Yesterday at the seventh hour," they reply, "the 
fever left him." 

Yesterday at the seventh hour! It was the very 
hour when Jesus had said, "Go thy way; thy son 
liveth." A strange coincidence. Is that all ? Then 
the earthly life of Jesus was crowded with coinci- 



2 66 A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. 

dences. — One morning he went down to the shore 
of Gennesareth and found a company of fishermen 
there. "Have ye caught anything?" he asked. 
"Nay; we have toiled all night and taken nothing." 
"Push out from the shore," said he, "and let 
down your nets on the right side of the ship." They 
did so, and, behold, their nets came in full of fishes. — 
On another occasion he lay asleep in a little boat 
when a tempest arose, and the boatmen, being at 
their wits' end, awoke him, crying, "Master, carest 
thou not that we perish ? " He arose, stretched forth 
his hands, said, ' ' Peace, be still ! " and instantly there 
was a great calm. A strange coincidence! — He went 
down to Bethesda where there were a great number 
of lame and withered and halt; and finding there a 
man who had been a hopeless cripple thirty and eight 
years, he said to him, " Rise up and walk." Yonder 
he goes with his mattress on his shoulder. Another 
strange coincidence! — As Christ was journeying he 
heard the lamentable cry of ten lepers, standing in 
the distance with their fingers on their lips. "Un- 
clean! unclean! have mercy upon us!" He bade 
them go show themselves to the priest for their 
cleansing; and as they went, lo, the scales of their 
leprosy fell off. A marvelous coincidence! — And, 
again, Jesus stood before the grave of Lazarus, who 
had been dead four days, and cried, " Come forth ! " 
Yonder he comes, issuing from the sepulcher, bound 
hand and foot with grave clothes. Again a coinci- 
dence ! — You have known a man addicted to an uncon- 
querable habit; a poor inebriate who had tried every- 
thing, turning over "new leaves," signing pledges, tak- 
ing the gold cure ; at length he sought the presence of 



A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. 267 

Christ, who lifted him up and made a man of him, 
" clothed and in his right mind." Call that a coinci- 
dence, if you will. — You yourself were a sinner and 
profoundly felt it ; one blessed day you came to 
Christ beating upon your breast and crying, " Be 
merciful!" He said, " Thy sins be forgiven thee " ; 
and ever since you have gone singing, "Bless the 
Lord, O my soul." Great coincidences, these! All 
history is crowded with them. Christ is the wonder- 
worker. Nothing is too hard for him. 

But let us get back to our nobleman. As he ap- 
proached his home, perhaps the little lad ran out to 
meet him. And when the loving father held him in 
his arms, the last remnant of his doubt vanished. 
The faith of hearsay had become the faith of personal 
experience. He passed through the doorway of his 
home and Joanna met him. "Now I know," said 
he, " that this Jesus is the very Christ. I believe in 
him not because of your words, but because I have 
seen and proved him. Henceforth, I will follow and 
serve him." 

"And himself believed and his whole household." 
Here we leave him; kneeling with wife and son and 
servants at the family altar. This is the nearest ap- 
proach to heaven. We can overhear his prayer : 
"I thank thee, Father, for the healing of our child. 
And I thank thee for the opening of the eyes of my 
understanding. We of this household do revere Jesus 
as thy well-beloved Son. Help us faithfully to serve 
him." And Joanna said, "Amen." 

What is our lesson ? Christ is the mighty to save. 
Was it a great thing to restore the little lad to health? 
It was greater to open his father's eyes. Of all the 



268 A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. 

marvels in the world, there is none comparable with 
the deliverance of a soul from spiritual and eternal 
death. In the harbor of Havana lies the wreck of 
" The Maine ; " a rent and tangled framework of iron. 
They say that all the wreckers on earth cannot raise 
her. If now a wonder-worker were to wave his wand 
and call that battle-ship to the surface of the water, 
with pennant flying and all her crew alive and at 
their posts on her decks, what a marvel that would 
be! Yet Christ is doing greater wonders constantly 
before our eyes. He restores the soul of a sinner, 
whose faculties are in utter ruin, girds him with the 
glorious strength of manhood and sets his lips 
atremble with the song of salvation. Faith does 
this; that is, the contact of the dead with the living, 
a sinner with the Prince of Life. 

On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is Angelo's 
picture of The Creation of Man An insensate body 
is reclining on a verdant knoll; the Omnipotent is 
reaching down from above; from God's finger to the 
uplifted hand of man is passing an electric spark; 
and, lo, he becomes a living soul Reach up your 
hand, my friend, and feel the electric thrill that 
comes from God Stand upon your feet a new man 
in Christ Jesus; a sinner saved by Christ through 
faith; as it is written, " He is able to save unto the 
uttermost all that come unto God by him." 



THE FORTUNATE ANGEL. 

An Easter Meditation. 

"And behold, the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and 
rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it." — Matt. 28, 2. 

The unseen world is nearer than we think. We are 
prevented by our physical limitations from communi- 
cating with its inhabitants ; but there are reasons for 
believing that they are familiar with events transpir- 
ing here. In our childhood we sang : 

" There is a happy land 
Far, far away." 

The hymn has gone out of fashion, yielding to a 
general and just opinion that heaven is in close touch 
with us. 

On the heights of Bethel a lonely man, fleeing 
from the wrath of a wronged brother, lies down to 
rest with a stone for his pillow. He dreams; and lo, 
a ladder is let down from heaven to earth ; and angels 
are going upward with the wanderer's prayers and 
coming down with blessings upon him. "Far, far 
away " ? Oh, no. The man awakes to realize that 
ministering spirits, at the divine behest, are ever near 
to guide and succor him. 

(269) 



270 THE FORTUNATE ANGEL. 

Thus let the way appear, 

Steps unto heaven ; 
All that Thou sendest me, 

In mercy given ; 
Angels to beckon me 
Nearer, my God, to Thee, 
Nearer to Thee ! 

We are apt to view the doctrine of Angel Ministra- 
trations with misgiving. And little wonder, consid- 
ering its unwarranted uses. So-called "Spiritualism" 
is a grotesque and stupendous fraud. The inhabi- 
tants of the unseen world are surely in better business 
than tipping tables, posing as ghosts in darkened 
rooms and talking transcendental nonsense to short- 
haired women and long-haired men. But we must 
not, on this account, be frightened out of a most 
helpful doctrine. No truth is without its reductio ad 
absurdu7?i. The devil misquoted Scripture to our 
Lord; "He shall give his angels charge concerning 
thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest 
at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." 
But this truth is none the less precious for the devil's 
garbling it. The angels are ambassadors between 
heaven and earth; as it is written, "Are they not all 
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them 
who shall be heirs of salvation?" 

How oft do they their silver bowers leave 

To come to succor us that succor want ! 
How oft do they with golden pinions cleave 

The flittering skies, like flying pursuivant, 

Against foul fiends to aid us militant ! 
They for us fight ; they watch and duly ward 

And their bright squadrons round about us plant: 
And all for love and nothing for reward. 
Oh, why should heavenly God to men have such regard ? 



THE FORTUNATE ANGEL. 271 

The Old Testament is full of their service. A man 
is threshing wheat by a wine-press in Oprah, fearful 
of the Midianites who have overrun the land. An 
angel appears to him saying, "The Lord is with 
thee, thou mighty man of valor; go, save thy people, 
saith the Lord ; have not I sent thee ? " — A man is 
sitting in the gateway of Sodom ; two wayfarers draw 
near, dusty with travel; he invites them to tarry all 
night with him. In the morning they lay aside their 
disguise and admonish him; "Arise, take thy wife 
and daughters and escape; look not behind thee nor 
stay in all the plain!" — The prophet Elijah, fleeing 
to the wilderness from the fury of a woman 
scorned, weary and famishing, casts himself un- 
der a juniper tree, crying, "It is enough, O Lord, 
take away my life ! " He sleeps ; presently an angel 
awakes him, saying, "Arise and eat;" and, behold 
"a cake baken on the coals and a cruse of water at 
his head." — A bond slave, driven from home, wanders 
in the desert with her child who is perishing of 
thirst; she lays him in the shadow of a shrub to die 
and weeps aloud: an angel speaks, "What aileth 
thee, Hagar? God hath heard the voice of the lad;" 
and the murmur of a fountain falls upon her ears. — 
At the time of the evening oblation, Daniel, clothed 
in sackcloth for the sins of his people, kneels in 
prayer: "O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto 
thee, but unto us confusion of face; let thine 
anger be turned away from thy Holy City, and 
cause thy face to shine upon thy desolate sanc- 
tuary; incline thine ear; O Lord, hearken, and 
defer not!" The words have scarcely fallen from 
his lips ere an angel stands beside him with the as- 



272 THE FORTUNATE ANGEL. 

surance of the coming of Messiah in fulness of time. 

How far is it, then, from heaven to earth? The 
journey was made while Daniel was on his knees. It 
is written of the angels, " They excel in strength!" 
A cannon ball would require five hundred years to 
pass from our world to the sun ; but who shall esti- 
mate the speed of an angel of light? By what spir- 
itual clairvoyance do these celestial beings surmount 
the difficulties of time and space? They seem to 
traverse the interstellar distances in the twinkling of 
an eye. 

The angels are represented as having a special in- 
terest in the earthly life of Jesus. One was chosen 
to make the annunciation to Mary; " Hail, thou that 
art highly favored, the Lord is with thee! " A group 
of them were appointed to sing the birth-song, 
" Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good will toward men! " Others were sent to minister 
to him after his temptation in the wilderness. Two 
of the saints triumphant, Moses and Elias, held con- 
verse with him in the Mount of Transfiguration 
" concerning the decease which he should accomplish 
at Jerusalem;" showing that the inhabitants of 
heaven are cognizant of earthly events. There were 
''legions of angels" above his cross, waiting at his 
word to draw the cruel nails and bear him in tri- 
umph to his throne. When the great tragedy was 
over, they still lingered, invisible, while the crucified 
One was carried to his grave. 

And Pilate said to his servitors, " Go, make the 
sepulcher as fast as ever you can ; see that the stone 
is secure; seal it up." Seal it up? Seal up the day- 
spring! Seal up the fountains of the mighty deep! 



THE FORTUNATE ANGEL. 273 

Bring hither the waters of the ocean in a calabash ! 
Measure the air in a wine-skin! Who is this that 
would seal up the Author of life in a sepulcher? He 
that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh ! For hath he 
not said, " I will not leave thy soul in Sheol; neither 
will I suffer my Holy One to see corruption " ? 

In heaven a messenger is wanted; "Who will go 
to Joseph's garden and roll away the stone? " All 
heaven is full of volunteers. One is chosen. O for- 
tunate angel! " Go carry the message of the resur- 
rection! Go roll away the stone! Go break the seal! 
Put powers and principalities to shame! Release my 
well-beloved Son!" 

It is the darkest hour of the night. In Joseph's 
garden the sentinels are passing to and fro. The 
moment is at hand. What sudden light is this? 
With the speed of lightning the messenger has 
come; one glance, and the guards are fallen upon 
their faces as dead men. He touches the stone; it 
rolls away. He loosens the shroud; unwinds the 
napkin from the wounded brow; and, lo, Jesus 
comes forth! His chariot waits; He mounts aloft. 
God is gone up with a shout! From the distance 
comes the song, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; 
and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors, and let the 
King of Glory enter in!" 

I. The angel of the resurrection was fortunate in 
being permitted to serve the King. Need it be said 
that Jesus could have dispensed with this service? 
He had "power to lay down his life and power to 
take it again." The rolling away of the stone was a 
small matter to One who by his indwelling energy 
was able to overcome the King of Terrors. But 



2 74 THE FORTUNATE ANGEL. 

here we note the blessed condescension of our Lord: 
he invites men and angels to become "laborers to- 
gether with him." 

A man is busy in his workshop. His little son is 
playing among the chips and shavings. " Come, my 
son," he says, putting a saw into his hand, "help 
me." Proud lad; to be helping his father! It is 
proper training for the serious business of life. So God 
sees us playing with yellow dust and chasing thistle- 
down; and he calls us to fetch and carry for him. It 
is our apprenticeship for eternity. It is glorious prep- 
aration for the larger tasks of the kingdom of God. 

The world believes in Christ. It believes in him 
as an historic fact; it credits the story of the manger 
and the cross; but, as for the story of the open 
sepulcher? Just there the eyebrows are lifted. The 
world believes in a dead Christ. The stone is still 
against the door of the sepulcher. It is for us to 
roll it away. The King asks this service of us. 

The truth of the resurrection is God's sign-manual 
on the work of redemption; as it is written, "He 
was delivered for our offenses and raised again for 
our justification." Without this the gospel is like 
the story of Edwin Drood ; it lacks a denoimnent. Tell 
it out, therefore, that he who was dead is alive and 
liveth forevermore. Tell it in your walk and con- 
versation; show it by the glory shining in your face; 
sing it with heart and understanding: 

"From the dark grave he rose, 

The mansions of the dead; 
And thence his mighty foes 

In glorious triumph led. 
Up through the sky the Conqueror rode, 
And reigns on high the Savior God!" 



THE FORTUNATE ANGEL. 275 

II. The angel of the resurrection was fortunate, also, 
in being permitted to render a special service to the Church. 
As yet the Church was but a little company of " fee- 
ble folk like the conies." The heart went out of 
them when Christ was crucified. John and the three 
Marys stood on Calvary with their faces fallen upon 
their breasts. At the window of the upper room in 
Salome's house there were others who looked off to- 
ward the hill ; saw the strange darkness, and then 
the returning light, and saw through their tears the 
dark effigy against the sky. He whom they had ex- 
pected to redeem Israel was dead. "I go a-fishing," 
said Peter; the others said, "We also go with thee." 
Why not ? Their hopes were dashed; their Lord 
was lying in his grave. 

As they were dragging their nets in the early 
twilight of the morning they saw One walking on 
the shore. They whispered, "It is the Lord." 
Then Peter, throwing off his fisher's coat, cast himself 
into the water and swam to meet him. The fishing 
days of Peter and his friends were over. Jesus was 
risen from the dead. The work of his kingdom must 
thenceforth engage their every thought. 

Now it was the Day of Pentecost; in the power 
of the Spirit the disciples were speaking with other 
tongues. The on-lookers asked, "What meaneth 
this ? " Some said, "It is the power of new wine." 
Peter was on his feet at peril of his life, to speak 
of Jesus. "New wine!" he cried, "Nay, this is 
the prophecy of Joel, ' It shall come to pass in the 
last days, saith the Lord, I will pour out my Spirit 
upon all flesh.' Ye men of Israel, hear these words: 
Ye took Jesus of Nazareth and crucified him with 



276 THE FORTUNATE ANGEL. 

wicked hands; and behold. God hath loosed him 
from the pains of death: He. therefore, being at the 
right hand of God exalted, hath breathed his Spirit 
upon us ! " 

A little later we hear Peter saying, "Blessed 
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten 
us again" (as if a begetting into the faith of Christ 
crucified were not enough) "unto a living hope 
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead;" 
And the time came when this man, who once 
trembled and fell before the pointed finger of a 
maid-servant, went forth without a tremor to be cru- 
cified beyond the city walls, rejoicing in hope of the 
crown of martyrdom made for his devotion to the 
truth. 

The doctrine of the risen Christ is our inspiration. 
It is the inspiration of the Church in her great propa- 
ganda. The world is to be won by the doctrine of a 
living Christ. Scotland was once saved by an army 
following a golden urn which contained the em- 
balmed heart of Robert the Bruce. The Captain of 
our Salvation is the Conqueror of Death. He gave 
the watchword on Olivet when he said to the assem- 
bled disciples. "All power is given unto mem heaven 
and in earth. Go ye. therefore, and evangelize: and, 
lo. I am with you alway. even unto the end of the 
world. " 

III. A distinct and glorious service was rendered by this 
fortunate angel to all the children of men. Blessed is the 
bearer of glad tidings! In the early dusk a group of 
women set out for the sepulcher with spices to em- 
balm their Lord. Thev went with leaden feet; ask- 



THE FORTUNATE ANGEL. 277 

ing by the way, " Who shall roll us away the stone ? " 
As they drew near, however, they perceived that the 
stone was already rolled away, and the angel was 
there, sitting upon it. "The Lord whom ye seek," 
he said, "is not here; he is risen! " A moment later 
they were running to tell the disciples. What cared 
they for decorum ? One of them was the wife of the 
royal steward. On she ran, eyes bright, face flushed, 
lips trembling, heart beating wildly! Oh for winged 
feet to bear them now! Run! Run! Tell the world 
that Christ is risen! 

The world has enough of dead gods. Zeus and 
Apollo, the gods of Walhalla, dreamy-eyed Buddh, 
all are dead. They have eyes, but they see not; ears, 
but they hear not; hands, but they help not. We 
dwell in a great pantheon full of dead deities. 
Blessed is the man who knows his commission and 
hastens to say, "There is One that liveth, One that 
is mighty to save; One that hath at his girdle the 
keys of death and hell! " 

The word for Easter is Sursum Corda ! Up with 
your hearts, O followers of Christ ! Hallelujah ! 
"The Lord is risen, indeed." It gladdens our lives, 
it glorifies our faith, it makes the gospel the power of 
God unto salvation. 

Do you cherish among your treasures a letter, 
worn and tear-stained, written by one who long ago 
passed out of your life ? What if, as you sit reading 
it, a hand should be laid upon you, and, looking 
up, you should hear him say, "I am alive; weep 
not! " The story of Christ crucified is such a letter. 
Read it to-night with a new expectancy. Listen for 
his step; lift up your eyes; he speaks. It is the 



278 THE FORTUNATE AXGEL. 

voice of the Shepherd come to awake and woo 
his bride: " Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come 
away; for, lo, the winter is past; the rain is over and 
gone; the flowers appear on the earth, and the time 
of the singing of birds is come. Arise, my love, my 
fair one, and come away!" 



THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 

11 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the 
door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying. 
Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, 
and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth and went away, and said, 
Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the 
name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover 
the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all 
the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned, 
and went away in a rage."— II. Kings 5, 9-12. 

The keynote of the life and character of Naaman is 
pride. And why should he not be proud ? He was 
a mighty man of valor; brave, cautious, energetic. 
He was the commander-in-chief of the Syrian armies. 
The time was when Ben-hadad commanded in person ; 
but now he was old and Naaman was his trusted 
helper. Surely, the king's favorite, the wealthy aris- 
tocrat, the successful captain, had reason to be proud. 

Nor was he singular in this. Pride is our universal 
failing. An East Side missionary says that the fami- 
lies of his congregation who have but a single chair 
in their tenements are scarcely recognized by the 
others. On Cherry Street it is a question of chairs; 
on Fifth Avenue, of birth and culture and wealth. 
In some of the Alpine valleys the people are proud of 
their goiters; on the Congo, of their thick lips. 

In any case, however, pride is irrational. A gnat 
having alighted on a bull's horn said, " I'm afraid 

(279) 



280 THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 

I'm heavy; if I trouble you, say so and I'll be off." 
"Oh, nevermind," was the reply; "I shouldn't have 
known you were there if you hadn't mentioned it." 
Strange what a small amount of capital will set a man 
up in this business. " Why should the spirit of mor- 
tal be proud ? " Naaman was no worse than the rest 
of us. 

But there was a minor note; "he was a leper." 
This was the crook in Naaman's lot. The white scale 
was on his forehead. Had he been an Israelite it 
would have disqualified him for public service; not 
so in Syria. As yet, the disease had not reached its 
malignant stage; his visor would hide it. Ah, but he 
knew, his household knew; it began to be rumored 
among his soldiers, his servants gossiped about it. 
A little maid in his home, a captive out of the land of 
Israel, had ventured to say, "Would God my lord 
were with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he 
would recover him of his leprosy." She spake bet- 
ter than she knew. The wife of Naaman reported 
this saying to her husband and prevailed upon him 
to visit the prophet. It is our present purpose to 
follow him on that journey, and to observe how his 
pride was brought low. 

He is just setting out. There is a stir at the man- 
sion. Naaman is in his chariot; the outriders are 
before it ; a retinue of soldiers follows after, with a 
company of slaves. He is going in state, so as to 
make a suitable impression. He is arrayed as be- 
comes a great captain, and he takes with him ten 
changes of raiment. He carries ten talents of sil- 
ver and six thousand pieces of gold, — about sixty 
thousand dollars — a most generous physician's fee, — ■ 



THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 281 

for he will accept nothing without pay. Still fur- 
ther, he bears a letter from his king, Ben-hadad, 
addressed, not to the prophet — indeed it would have 
been beneath the dignity of the Syrian king to notice 
a mere prophet — but to Jehoram, the king of Israel. 
This letter is couched in the imperative mood: " Be- 
hold, I send herewith Naaman my servant to thee, 
that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. " Jehoram 
had met Ben-hadad in battle and knew the temper of 
his steel. Let him fail to heal Naaman at his peril ! 

Thus arrayed in worldly pride, the great captain 
sets out upon his journey; plumes waving, armor 
glistening in the sunlight, the procession moves on. 
His devoted wife watches his departure through the 
lattice; beside her stands the little captive maid, her 
lips moving in prayer to her God. 

The next day Naaman presents himself at the 
palace of Jehoram with his letter. The king trembles 
as he reads; knowing the spirit of Ben-hadad, he 
cries, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this 
man doth send unto me to recover a man of his 
leprosy? See how he seeketh a quarrel against me! " 
He rends his garments in token of dismay. At this 
juncture a messenger arrives from Elisha, saying, 
" Fear not, O king, send Naaman unto me, and he 
shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." 

Now the cortege of Naaman lines up before the 
door of the prophet's humble home. The captain 
has no intention of dismounting, but awaits the 
prophet's appearance. The delay irritates him. A 
servant appears. Here is a studied affront, which 
the forthcoming message merely aggravates: — "Go 
and wash in Jordan seven times, and thou shalt be 



282 THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 

clean." What wonder that Naaman "was wroth " ? 
Was ever such discourtesy put upon a mighty man of 
valor? To the Jordan forsooth? "ArenotAbana 
and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the 
waters of Israel? " Abana, gushing from the rugged 
side of Anti-Libanus, spreading over the beautiful 
glens, then bursting through a gorge, and dividing 
itself into seven crystal streams. And Pharpar, pure 
and limpid, called Chrysorrhoas, the "River of Gold"! 
What is Jordan to these ? shallow and turbid Jordan, 
flowing out of a marsh and emptying into a pool! 
Indeed, there is something admirable in Naaman's 
patriotic indignation. 

" Lives there a man with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself hath said, 
This is my own, my native land?" 

They tell of the Rhine with its cliffs and castles; 
but w T hat of our glorious Hudson ? They tell of the 
Thames; but what of our "Father of Waters" ? 

My native country, thee, 
Land of the noble free, 

Thy name I love ; 
I love thy rocks and rills, 
Thy woods and templed hills ; 
My heart with rapture thrills 

Like that above ! 

But worst affront of all w T as the injunction to bathe. 
To bathe seven times! It seemed like a studied 
attempt to make sport of him. 

All this was very different from what the man had 
expected: "Behold, I thought, He will surely come 
out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the 
Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, 



THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 283 

and heal me." He had regarded the prophet as a 
necromancer, — one likely to be impressed by his 
pomp and circumstance, — had supposed that he 
would say, "Presto! " and perform the cure. At the 
center of this imposing scene, he himself would be the 
observed of all observers. "Go to the Jordan," in- 
deed! This was not at all according to the program. 
There would be no eclat in such a performance. The 
prophet was facetious, was making a jesting-stock of 
him. Little wonder that he "fell into a rage." 
Doubtless it was a genuine military rage, full of 
oaths and imprecations. But the prophet knew what 
was best for this mighty man of valor: he must be 
emptied of his pride before God could help him. So 
must you; so must I. 

Thus the errand of Naaman came to the very 
verge of failure. He turned to his charioteer and 
said, "Drive to Damascus; we will reckon with this 
prophet in due time." His leprosy was still upon 
him; pride was still raging in his heart. The prophet 
was a charlatan. The journey to Samaria was for 
naught. 

But what is this ? A conference among the ser- 
vants; they whisper together. One of them, as 
spokesman, draws near to the chariot and falls upon 
his knee. "My father," he cries. In that word we 
are introduced to a better side of Naaman's character. 
His servants loved him ; on occasion they might ven- 
ture even to take liberties with him. They did not 
tremble at his martial aspect; they knew that under 
his corselet beat a kindly heart, and that back of his 
hot temper was sound reason. But what will this 
servant say? "My father, if the prophet had bid 



284 THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 

thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have 
done it ? Wast thou not ready to pay him ten talents 
of silver and six thousand pieces of gold? How much 
rather then wilt thou do this little thing that he 
saith, Wash and be clean"? There is something in 
that. Naaman yields to his sober second thought. 
"Drive to the Jordan!" he cries; "it can do no 
harm. We have come so far; let us go through 
with it." 

And here they are at the bank of Jordan. He lays 
aside his armor, puts off his outer garment, steps 
down into the river. He dips himself in the water 
once, twice, thrice; then turns to see his servants 
watching from the bank. He is indeed the "observed 
of all observers", but not as he had thought. Four 
times, five, six, and still no change! Why should 
he thus be made a gazingstock for naught ? He will 
go no further with the dumb show. "Dip again, 
Master," cry his servants, "once more, once more! " 
He dips the seventh time; lifts his hand to his fore- 
head as he emerges from the water; and a cry comes 
from the bank, "Master, the white scall is gone ! " 
Behold, his flesh is become again like the flesh of a 
little child. 

His leprosy was gone. More yet, his pride was 
gone; something better had come to supplant it. As 
he entered his chariot there was a conflict of strange 
emotions within him. 

"Where now, Master?" asked his charioteer. 
" To Damascus ? " 

" Nay; back to Samaria." It was out of his way, 
indeed; but a true man must make his just acknowl- 
edgments. 



THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 285 

And as they rode, he pondered. He had been a 
worshiper of Rimmon. But could Rimmon heal 
him ? The power that had been manifest upon him 
must be the power of the true God. 

He is again at the prophet's door. He descends 
from his chariot with a low obeisance. Elisha sends 
no servant now, but comes forth himself to greet 
him. 

"Now I know," says Naaman, "that there is no 
God in all the earth but the God of Israel." The 
passing of his leprosy was the slightest change in 
this man. He had changed his God. It was right 
that he should confess it. 

"Take, therefore, a blessing of thy servant," he 
continues. His attendants are unloading the strong 
boxes. 

"As the Lord liveth," replies the prophet, " I will 
receive nothing from thee." The man must be 
taught that the God of Israel is not a merchant, that 
he should sell his commodities, but a Giver, a great 
Giver, a royal Giver, whose gifts are without money 
and without price. 

"Give, then, to thy servant two mules' burden of 
earth, that I may build an altar on holy ground ; for 
thy servant henceforth will sacrifice unto none other 
but the true God. " 

The request is granted, and, making his grateful 
farewells, the Syrian captain sets forth. But a look 
of perplexity gathers on his brow. He turns back. 
A question of grave importance has occurred to him: 
"The Lord pardon thy servant," he says, "for this 
thing; but what shall I do ? When my master goeth 
unto the house of Rimmon to worship there, he lean- 



286 THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 

eth on my hand; and when he boweth, I also have 
been wont to bow. What now shall I do ? " 

It was a hard question. "Go in peace," said the 
prophet ; that is, simply, "Farewell." He must set- 
tle the problem for himself. He has henceforth a 
conscience to reckon with. This is the first evidence 
of regeneration. No sooner does a man begin the 
better life than he confronts great questions which 
before were of little moment to him. " Go in peace; 
the Lord will direct thee; this is a matter to be de- 
termined between thee and God." 

In due time Naaman reached his home. His faith- 
ful wife, awaiting him, saw her lord's company as 
they drew nigh on the Lebanon road ; her heart was 
beating fast in suspense; she shaded her eyes to see 
whether he were a leper still, but his helmet hid his 
face. As he, at length, descended from the chariot, 
he lifted his visor, — the white scall was gone! We 
may be sure she sobbed forth her joy in her husband's 
arms. And as for the little captive maid ? No doubt 
they overlooked her; but she had done, by her timely 
word, what Ben-hadad and Jehoram could not do. 
The mouse had gnawed the lion out of his net. Such 
deeds are their own reward. She saw the great captain 
healed of his infirmity and quietly thanked her God. 

Here the curtain falls. Naaman had many mar- 
velous things to tell his wife that day. "We have 
worshiped Rimmon," he said, "but Jehovah alone is 
God." In the court of his mansion he sprinkled the 
two mules' burden of earth and reared an altar. A 
lamb was laid upon it and the captain and his wife 
knelt in worship. In the light of that sacrifice we 
draw our practical lessons: 



THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 287 

i. Sin is leprosy ; an incurable dis-ease. The scall 
is in all flesh. All men are conscious of it, and 
equally conscious that its penalty is spiritual and 
eternal death. 

2. There is a God in Israel. In healing leprosy 
he gives token of his power to forgive sin. Of this 
we have definite assurance in the gospel of his well- 
beloved Son. A fountain is opened at Calvary for 
all uncleanness. This stream has healing power 
beyond all the rivers of Damascus. "Come now, 
saith the Lord, and let us reason together: Though 
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as 
snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be 
as wool." 

3. Our pride alone stands between our sins and 
God. Pride is buttressed by prejudice. " I thought, " 
said Naaman. So say we, as we turn our eyes toward 
the cross. " Behold, I thought my penance would 
atone for sin. I thought to earn my way to heaven 
by good works. I thought by outward forms and 
ceremonies to commend myself to God. " "I thought ! 
I thought! " God save us from such preconceptions. 
The question is not what we think, but what God 
thinks as to this matter of the endless life. " I will 
not" has slain its thousands, but "I thought", its 
tens of thousands. God's thoughts are not as our 
thoughts, nor his ways as our ways. His thought is 
expressed in the announcement, "God so loved the 
world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that who- 
soever believeth in him should not perish, but have 
everlasting life." 

His thought as expressed in the cross is simplicity 
itself. Yet this very simplicity is an offense unto us. 



288 THE PRIDE OF NAAMAN. 

Christ crucified is " foolishness to the Greek, and to 
the Jew a stumbling block; but to them that are 
saved, it is the wisdom and the power of God. " Here 
is our only hope of salvation. Let us put away pride 
and prejudice and address ourselves to the saving 
truth as God hath revealed it. "He resisteth the 
proud, but giveth grace to the humble." He offers 
eternal life on the sole condition of faith in the aton- 
ing blood of his Son. The gift is without money and 
without price. Bow low, my friend, to receive it. 
Put away thy thought; let God have his way with 
thee. If you and I are ever saved, it will be because 
we come to Christ as Wesley did, saying, 

" I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all ; 
But Jesus Christ is my all in all." 



THE HANDS OF IESUS. 

" And when he had thus spoken,:he showed them his hands."— Luke 24, 40. 

The "Art of Palmistry" is compounded of one 
grain of truth and ninety-nine of artifice; the only 
doubt being as to the single grain. The father of the 
so-called "Art" in its modern form was Lavater, an 
eccentric priest. The work assigned to him, as a 
candidate for holy orders, was to stand at the door- 
way of the chapel, holding a velvet bag for offerings. 
His eyes were downcast, in pursuance of his vow of 
humility; thus he became perforce a close observer 
of hands. It was indeed a matter of little skill to read 
the character of the giver in this way. A hand of 
velvet, plump and unctuous, told unmistakably of 
worldly ease. A hard, horny hand was indicative of 
honest toil. A thin hand, armed with talons, said, 
"Shylock is casting in an alms." It was but clever 
guesswork. 

We need no conjurer's art or artifice for our present 
task. We are to contemplate the hands of Jesus. 
The lessons they teach are plain and simple and for 
practical uses. 

Observe, first, — They were a man's hands. The cruci- 
fixion was over. The disciples were met in the upper 
room; and the doors were shut "for fear of the 

(289) , , 



290 THE HANDS OF JESUS. 

Jews." There were rumors that Jesus had risen from 
the dead. In this company were certain women, who 
said that they had seen him. But some doubted. 
On a sudden he stood among them, saying, "Peace 
be unto you." They were dazed, terrified, sup- 
posing it to be his disembodied spirit. Then 
he said, " Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I 
myself; handle me and see; a spirit hath not flesh 
and bones." Thus they were convinced that it was 
the very Jesus who had lived and walked among 
them. 

He was, on earth, a veritable man. He took our 
nature — "not the nature of angels, but of men." A 
sect arose called Docetcz, who, in order to evade the 
difficulties of the incarnation, held that the body of 
Jesus was a phantasm ; his alleged humanity was an 
optical illusion. The truth, however, is that he was 
flesh of our flesh, our real kinsman, being in all 
points such as we are, only without sin. 

And so he remains forever. Let us emphasize this 
fact. The incarnation was not a temporary expedient. 
In the theanthropic person of Jesus there was a per- 
fect union of Godhood with humanity. When he 
came from heaven to earth he did not empty himself 
of his godhood ; nor when he returned from earth to 
heaven did he lay aside his manhood. As he ascended 
from Olivet his fleshly body was sublimated, ethereal- 
ized, adjusted to the necessities of the spiritual world ; 
but that fleshly body furnished the seed (1 Cor. xv. 
35-57) or material for his spiritual body; so that he 
abides through all eternity the God-man. Here is 
infinite comfort: he remains the first born among 
many brethren, the Elder Brother of us all. The true 



THE HANDS OF JESUS. 29 1 

statement of this doctrine, as given in one of our ven- 
erable symbols, is this: "The Eternal Son of God 
became man by taking to himself a true body and a 
reasonable soul, and so was and continues to be God 
and Man in two distinct natures and one person 
forever." 

Second, — They were pure hands. "Who shall ascend 
unto the hill of the Lord ? or, who shall stand in his 
holy place ? He that hath clean hands and a pure 
heart; who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity nor 
sworn deceitfully. " Where shall we find such an one ? 
Is it you ? Is it any of your friends or acquaintance ? 
Nay, there is no difference; all have sinned. There 
is none that doeth good; no, not one. "Will all 
great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my 
hands ? " Jesus claimed an absolute sinlessness. Here 
is his challenge: "Which of you convinceth me of 
sin ?" Of all the accusations brought against him, 
not one impeached the spotless purity of his charac- 
ter and life. 

And his claim was strangely conceded. The man 
who betrayed him returned to the hall Gazith, where 
he had received the price of treachery, and casting 
down the pieces of silver before the rabbis cried, " I 
have betrayed innocent blood ! " — The man who sat 
in judgment over him and sentenced him to death 
brought him out to Gabbatha, the place of Judgment, 
and, in sight of the assembled multitude, said, "I 
find no fault in him at all." — The centurion who had 
charge of his execution, looked toward the cross when 
the tragedy was over, and testified, "Verily, this 
was a righteous man." Were ever such tributes paid 
to the virtue of another ? Some have, indeed, claimed 



292 THE HANDS OF JESUS. 

perfection; but the world has laughed them to scorn. 
The world has lauded others for their perfection ; but 
they have repudiated it. In Christ alone the claim 
and the testimony are united. Behold the Man! 

Third, — They were callous hands. What went ye out 
for to see ? A man with soft, white hands ? Nay ; 
such are in king's palaces and in the mansions of 
those who can live without labor; or else in the 
market-places and at the corners of the streets, where 
idlers say, " The world owes me a living. " But Christ 
belonged to the Third Estate, the honorable company 
of working men. He was a man of the people, an 
average man. It is written of Buddha that, at the 
beginning of his ministry, he left his palace and took 
his place under the sacred Bo-tree to meditate. On 
the contrary, Jesus entered a carpenter-shop and be- 
came the brother of all who give themselves to labor 
as the fulfillment of the primal law. 

It was now three years since he had crossed the 
threshold of his shop in Nazareth to engage in the 
distinctive work of his ministry. But hands that 
have once known handicraft are marked forever with 
its imprint. Once a toiler, always a toiler. Our 
Lord in heaven is as truly the sympathetic Friend 
of workingmen as when he made plows for the 
farmers of Galilee and mended the furniture of the 
people of Nazareth. 

The great problem, destined to be the last which 
civilization shall solve, is that between capital and 
labor. We are addressing ourselves to its solution 
by such devices as arbitration. So far, so good. But 
who shall be arbitrator ? Pope, or bishop, or arch- 
bishop ? Nay, call in the Lord and Master of them 



THE HANDS OF JESUS. 293 

all. It is greatly to be feared, however, that an ob- 
jection would be entered against him on the ground 
of probable bias. His sleeves were not of lawn. 
Nevertheless it remains for him to solve the problem. 
All classes must be blended, all middle walls of sepa- 
ration broken down, by the application of his Golden 
Rule: ''Do unto others as ye would have them do 
unto you." 

Fourth, — They were strong hands. Not strong with 
a mere knotted muscularity, like those of an athlete, 
disciplined to strike a blow; but hands that spoke of 
courage and authority, of a perfect physical and 
moral symmetry. 

The right hand of Jesus is the hand of judgment. 
It is written, "His fan is in his hand and he will 
thoroughly purge his floor; he will gather the wheat 
into his garners, and burn up the chaff with un- 
quenchable fire." This is the hand that wrote in 
Belshazzar's hall, • Mene, Tekel" Weighed and found 
wanting! 

This right hand is the hand of a King. It holds 
the scepter of heaven and earth. His enemies put an 
impotent reed into it, and paraded before him with 
mock obeisance, crying, "Hail, OKing!" They 
shall see him reigning in light and glory unapproach- 
able. His scepter is a right scepter; his dominion is 
for ever and ever. 

This right hand of Jesus is the hand of salvation. 
It can pluck a sinner from the depths. It made the 
worlds and spun them out upon their orbits in in- 
finite space ; a work so great that in celebration of it 
the morning stars sang together and all the sons of 
God shouted for joy. But that was not his greatest 



294 THE HANDS OF JESUS. 

work; indeed, it was no more for him to frame the 
worlds than for a lad to blow bubbles into the air. 
His master-work is Redemption. For this he is rep- 
resented as ''making bare his arm," like a workman 
about to address himself to a tremendous task. 

" 'Twas great to call a world from naught, 
Tis greater to redeem." 

Fifth, — They were frie?idly hands, the kindest and 
most helpful. The}'" were ever employed in doing 
good. 

On one occasion he called little children to him, 
laid his hands upon them and blessed them, saying, 
11 Suffer them to come unto me." No such record is 
made of any other of the world's illustrious teachers. 
He loved children; he recognized the truth, "The 
child is father of the man." 

On another occasion a leper cried, "Lord, if thou 
wilt, thou canst make me clean! " Jesus approached 
him. — Take heed, good Rabbi, lest thou come 
too near! Here is infection ; here is ceremonial un- 
cleanness. — He put forth his hand and touched 
him, saying, "I will; be thou clean!" This man 
was so pure that soul and body alike were proof 
against defilement. The evil had no part in 
him. 

On another occasion a demoniac boy was brought 
for healing. "Thou dumb and deaf spirit," he 
cried, "come forth!" The lad, rent by the parting 
demon, fell as dead. And Jesus " took him by the 
hand and lifted him up and he arose." Such is his 
custom. How many a soul, afflicted once by sin and 
trouble, can say, " He took me by the hand, he 
lifted me up! " 



THE HANDS OF JESUS. 295 

The Evangelist in Patmos saw him in the midst of 
the golden candlesticks, clothed with a garment of 
authority, girt with a golden girdle, his face shining 
like the sun. " And when I saw him," he writes, " I 
fell at his feet as dead. Then he laid his right hand 
upon me, saying, 'Fear not!'" John knew the 
voice; he knew the touch of that right hand. "Fear 
not! " The trouble of his soul was gone. Here was 
the Friend on whose bosom he had pillowed his 
head in former days. 

Sixth, — They were wounded hands. It was thus 
that the prophet Zechariah saw him five hundred 
years before his Advent. In amazement he asked, 
" What are these wounds in thy hands? " The vision 
answered, " They are those with which I was wounded 
in the house of my friends." Let us thrust our fin- 
gers into these nail-prints and be not faithless but 
believing. They have a wonderful story to tell. 
They are eloquent of God's love; he so loved the 
world that he gave his only-begotten Son to suffer 
and die for it. — They are eloquent of God's justice; 
as it is written, "Awake, O sword, against my fel- 
low." He so hated sin that, being unable in the 
nature of the case to overlook it, he must needs send 
his well-beloved to expiate it in his own body on the 
tree. — They are eloquent of God's wisdom; in all 
the religions of the world there is no other plan of 
deliverance from the penalty of a misspent life. The 
blood of Jesus cleanseth; and without the shedding 
of blood there is no remission of sin. — They are 
eloquent of God's power; by these wounds we are 
given to believe that he is able to save even to the 
uttermost. These hands were nailed to the cross: 



296 THE HANDS OF JESUS, 

but even there they did not lose their cunning. A 
thief in penitence cried out, ''Remember me!" and 
Jesus saved him. 

He saved the dying thief ! The world objects: 
"Shall a malefactor, who has passed his years in 
crime, be carried to heaven in articulo mortis?" O, 
mean and grudging world ! Cruel, implacable world ! 
Narrow, bigoted world, thus to deny a poor sinner 
his only chance. Now or never it must be. In an 
hour this thief will be in eternity, his character fixed, 
and repentance forever too late. Blessed be God for 
his grace; free grace and unto the uttermost! By 
the power of his pierced hands let it be known and 
preached that he rescues thieves and Magdalenes. 
Nothing is too hard for him. 

Seventh, — They were uplifted hands. He stood in the 
midst of his disciples and blessed them, saying, "Peace 
be unto you." The last glimpse they caught of him, 
as he was received by the opening heavens, he was 
still stretching out his hands in benediction over 
them. 

Better still, they are uplifted in intercession for us. 
The high priest, on the Great Day of Atonement, 
with the names of the tribes written on his breast, 
entered the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the mercy- 
seat with blood and plead for the pardon of the 
people's sin. So Christ has entered into the holiest 
by a new and living way. Our names are written 
upon his hands, close to the nail-prints. Thus he 
makes an all-prevailing plea: "O Father, these have 
sinned ; but I have made atonement for them. Be- 
hold these wounds in my hands! Let these guilty 
ones enter into life for my sake." And from all the 



THE HANDS OF JESUS. 297 

mercy-seats, the sanctuaries, the trysting-places of 
earth, is heard an echo of that intercession, "For 
Jesus' sake." 

Arise, my soul, arise, 

Shake off thy guilty fears ; 
The bleeding Sacrifice 

In my behalf appears; 
Before the throne my Surety stands 
My name is written on his hands. 

Five bleeding wounds he bears, 

Received on Calvary ; 
They pour effectual prayers, 

They strongly plead for me: — 
Forgive him, O forgive, they cry, 
Nor let that ransom'd sinner die. 

Finally, — They are outstretched hands. He stands in 
an attitude of invitation. The gospel is in this word, 
"Come." "Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come." — 
"Come now, saith the Lord, let us reason together; 
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white 
as snow. " — " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest." — "The Spirit 
and the Bride say, Come; and let him that is athirst, 
come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of 
life freely." — Come! Come! Come! 

His hands are stretched out still. O infinite pa- 
tience! "All the day long have I stretched forth my 
hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." 
There is still opportunity of closing in with his over- 
tures of mercy. But he will not save us in spite of our- 
selves. In this he pays tribute to the dignity of our 
manhood. We are made in the likeness of God, with 
sovereign wills. We can yield or resist. If he draws 



298 THE HANDS OF JESUS. 

us, it must be "with the cords of a man." It takes 
two to make a covenant. Faith is the condition of 
salvation. His arm has been made bare for us. His 
right hand is reached from heaven to save us. Grasp 
it, and enter into life ? 



THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN.* 

14 I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word 
of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." — I. John, 2, 14. 

I bring a message from a centenarian. John was a 
hundred years old when he wrote this letter. " Let 
the multitude of years show wisdom." His life cov- 
vered the world's most eventful century. His fellow- 
apostles had been led, one by one, to the stake, the 
headsman's block or the amphitheatre ; and he alone 
was left. He had outlived twelve emperors; had 
been haled before Nero and escaped out of the mouth 
of the lion; had seen Titus lay siege to Jerusalem and 
reduce it, rearing crosses on the surrounding hills in 
awful fulfillment of the prophetic malediction, "His 
blood be on us and on our children ! " He had now re- 
turned to Ephesus from his exile, old and feeble. 
The candle was slowly burning to its socket. 

I. "I write unto you, young men." In the heart 
of the aged evangelist there was a warm place for 
young men. It is related of him in one of the 
early legends, that once he went out from Ephesus 
along a dangerous road. In the depth of the 

*This sermon was preached Sunday, May 1st, 1898, on the tenth anniversary 
of the founding of the Brotherhood of Andrew and Philip. 

(299) 



300 THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN. 

forest he paused and listened, leaning on his staff. In 
the distance was heard the sound of horses' hoofs and 
then the clang of steel. He should have been afraid, 
but his face was lit with joyful expectancy. A mo- 
ment later the robbers were upon him. He smiled a 
kindly greeting, saying, "Take me to your captain." 
They led him to an open space. There sat on a horse 
a young man bravely equipped with helmet and 
breastplate. Then a strange thing happened. At 
sight of this old man the robber chief uttered a cry of 
mingled pain and terror, threw himself from his 
horse, and fell prostrate before him. The evangelist 
lifted him to his feet, saying, "My son, if any man 
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus 
Christ the righteous." They had last met at the 
sacramental altar at Ephesus. The youth had broken 
his vow; had mingled in the merry dance of Aphro- 
dite around the midsummer fires; had cast restraint 
to the winds. But here was his reclamation. He 
cast away sword and helmet and returned with John 
to Ephesus, a trophy of God's redeeming grace. 

II. "I write unto you, young men, because ye are 
strong." There is profound pathos here. I see the 
evangelist as he writes; his eyes are dim, his hands 
tremulous; the characters are wayward and irregu- 
lar. Time was when he wrote a clear, bold hand. 
Time was when he ventured forth with his comrades 
on the boisterous lake, rejoicing in the whistling 
wind, the bellying sail, the creaking mast. Time was 
when he stood by his brethren in the forefront of 
Christian service, his eye kindling at the thought of 
dangerous enterprise. Now his blood runs slow; 



THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN. 30I 

'his manly voice, turning again towards childish 
treble, pipes and whistles in his sound." The grass- 
hopper is a burden. He shakes himself, like Samson, 
to find that his locks are shorn. The infirmities of 
age are upon him. 

And there is so much to be done ! The world is 
bright with promise. Doors are opening on every 
hand. The followers of Christ are multiplying. The 
Roman eagle has begun to build its nest in the cleft 
of the Rock of Ages. O for youth and strength and 
courage to mingle in the stirring events of history! 
It is as if John said, "Young man, know your privi- 
lege. The future calls as with beckoning hands. 
The fields are yellow unto the harvest. Thrust in the 
sickle and reap. Be eager, be ambitious. Follow 
your Leader to the high places of responsibility and 
usefulness. Use your strength for God! " 

What is the strength here referred to? Not physical, 
surely. Ask the average boy, "Who was the great- 
est man? " and he will answer, "Samson, who rent 
asunder the jaws of a lion as if it had been a kid ; 
who carried away the great gates of Gaza to the hill- 
top ; who laid his hands upon the columns of Dagon's 
temple and brought the great fabric rattling down 
in ruin about him." Or ask, "Who is the leading 
man at college?" and the lad will answer, "The 
captain of the 'Varsity crew." But give him time 
and he will revise his judgment. He will learn that 
physical strength alone goes for little in the earnest 
world. The glory of the college athlete, if it be 
alone, soon lapses into desuetude. "Bodily exercise 
profiteth little. " Or, did John refer to mon- 



302 THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN. 

etary strength? You are ambitious, mayhap, to be " a 
young Napoleon of finance." You mean to win a 
fortune. Suppose you succeed? " We brought noth- 
ing into this world and it is certain we can carry 
nothing out." This is but a transient and superficial 
sort of strength at best. "A man's life consisteth 
not in the abundance of the things which he pos- 
sesseth." A child who wearies himself in chasing a 
butterfly, ends by brushing a little yellow dust from 
his fingers. " So, also, shall the rich man fade away 

in his ways." Or is the reference to that 

spectacular power which comes from living in the public 
eye? You covet a little brief authority. But is it 
worth while? Louis XIV., as he lay dying, called 
the Dauphin to his bedside and said, "My son, I 
might have lived a better life; profit by my errors; 
and remember this: kings die like other men." . . . . 
Or is the reference to intellectual strength ? It is a true 
saying, "Knowledge is power." Every time a boy 
learns a lesson, he generates force and adds to the 
possibilities of his personal usefulness. But " knowl- 
edge ceaseth." The valedictorian of my class, dear 
fellow, broke down under his mental exertions, before 
he had fully entered upon life's responsibilities, and 
died in an asylum. It is a true saying, ' ' Much study is 
a weariness of the flesh." And when we have learned 
our utmost, it still remains that " the wisdom of man 
is foolishness with God." .... No; the strength 
which the evangelist had in mind was beyond and 
above all these. // was moral strength, or character. 
The word itself is significant. The original meaning 
of character is a stamp or graving tool; that which 



THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN. 303 

makes an impression. Our true strength or moral 
value is not to be measured by natural gifts and 
endowments, but by what we are and what we do. 
In 1798, when our country was facing the possibility 
of war with France, the President wrote to Wash- 
ington at Mount Vernon, ' ' We must have your name ; 
it will be of more value to us than a standing army." 

How shall we estimate the importance of a man ? 
We cannot weigh him, as we do beef cattle, on a 
platform scale. Put him there, if you please, as so 
much avoirdupois; fill his pockets with gold; place a 
jeweled crown on his head; fill his hands with books 
and parchments ; still you are not weighing the man. 
What of his faith, his virtue, his high ambition and 
noble aspiration ? These and kindred graces and 
attributes go to make character; and character is the 
Archimedean lever which lifts the world. 

III. Whence comes this power? The apostle tells 
us, — from " the word of God." Here is the secret of 
influence. The strongest man in the world is the 
best Bible-Christian ; he who most sincerely believes 
the Book and most consistently lives up to it. 

I confess to an utter weariness of Biblical contro- 
versy. For twenty years the Bible has been practi- 
cally a closed book; yet we boast of living in an age 
of Bible study. We have been studying about the 
Bible; about its age and authorship; about its chron- 
ology and style and hypothetical construction; all 
about the outside of it. Is it not time, in the name 
of the living God who inspired it, to open this vener- 
able book and learn its contents? If we do not 
believe it, that ends the matter; if we do, then let us 



304 THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN. 

rest awhile from noisy strife and read it. For out of 
this volume are the issues of eternal life and death. 
" Search the Scriptures/' said the Master, "for in 
them ye think ye have eternal life, and these are they 
which testify of me." 

It is from these Scriptures that we derive our views 
of spiritual truth, The business of all earnest men is 
to have definite convictions as to the great verities. 
A lad of sixteen recently said in my hearing, "I am 
an agnostic." He probably did not even know the 
meaning of the word. An agnostic is one who knows 
nothing and is proud of it. We are living in a time 
that calls for vertebrates; for men who can stand 
erect on their two feet, with their faces toward heaven 
and say in a tone of utmost conviction, "I believe." 
Be anything, my friend, rather than an agnostic. 
Be an atheist; be an infidel; be something. Know 
where you stand. If you are "an honest doubter," 
go to God's oracles as thirsty men to a spring of liv- 
ing water. Hear what they have to say of God and 
duty and immortality. These are the postulates of 
life. Believe them and be able to give a reason for 
the faith that is in you. 

Out of the Scriptures we also derive our moral code. 
They tell us how to determine, as Plato said, " be- 
twixt the worse and better reason." Like a finger- 
board at the crossroads, they direct us where to go. 
Our conscience answers, " Yea" and "Amen", to their 
moral determinations. A man who passed through 
our Civil War has a Bible which he cherishes as mark- 
ing the turning-point of his life. It bears the scar 
of a bullet which found its way half-way through 



THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN. 305 

the volume, to the eleventh of Ecclesiastes, where it 
left a black mark of emphasis against this verse: 
" Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy 
heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth; and walk 
in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine 
eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God 
will bring thee into judgment." Blessed is he to 
whom a "Thus saith the Lord" has been thus forced 
home, like a bullet to its mark. Truth must have a 
lodgment; it needs a background. The man who 
can meet the Scripture half way is bound to make 
life tell. The energy that comes to us out of the old- 
fashioned Book formulates itself into faith and princi- 
ple, and expresses itself in the duties of life. 

But the benefits of Scripture are only to be gotten 
by appropriation. We grow strong not by virtue of 
a Bible on the study-table, but by " the Word of God 
abiding in us." We profess to receive it as our infal- 
lible rule of faith and practice. Its truths are thus 
transmuted into moral power. We grow rich as we 
search it for hid treasure; we grow wise as we find in 
it the mystery of godliness; we grow strong as we 
welcome it into our hearts and consciences and give 
it expression in nerve and sinew, in walk and conver- 
sation, in all the duties and responsibilities of life. 

IV. And when we have acquired this strength, 
what shall we do with it?" The apostle tells us; we 
are to use it for ' * the overcoming of the wicked one. " 
Is there, then, a Wicked One ? The doctrine of a 
personal devil is rarely preached nowadays; but it is 
impossible that men should disbelieve it. Sir Thomas 
Browne quaintly says, "When I see cities deserted, 



306 THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN. 

homes demolished, mothers and children in rags and 
beggary, I say, ' The Spaniard hath been here.' And, 
by the same token, when I see men's lives blighted, 
their hearts defiled, their consciences seared as with a 
hot iron, I say, 'The devil hath been here.'" 

You need not go far afield in search of him. Turn 
your eyes inward and you shall find the evidences of 
his malignant presence. The symptoms are three: 
"the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the 
pride of life." What is the lust of the flesh ? Let us 
have no euphemism here; the words mean just what 
they say. What is the lust of the eyes ? Our eyes 
are the organs of envy and covetousness : they are 
never satisfied ; they reach forth, like the horse-leech's 
daughters, crying, "Give! Give!" And what is the 
pride of life ? It is satisfaction with the things that 
perish with the using; a sordid content with life here 
and now. A soul that surrenders itself to these three 
is under the dominion of the Evil One. 

He is everywhere abroad in the world. If it ever 
could be truly said, " He goeth about like a roaring 
lion, seeking whom he may devour," it is true just 
now. Our Lord and Master came "to destroy the 
works of the devil"; and he has laid the same com- 
mission upon us, to tear down the strongholds of 
iniquity and cast out the Prince of Darkness from 
the hearts and homes of the children of men. 

Our war against Spain is justifiable only on this 
ground. For three weary years the destroyer has 
relentlessly wrought his cruel purposes among the 
Cuban people. They have groaned under tyranny; 
they have struggled in vain. Some hundreds of 



THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN. 307 

thousands of innocent victims have meanwhile died 
of hunger and exposure. I saw last night two pic- 
tures side by side, in startling contrast. They were 
called, " The Two Mothers." One showed the Queen 
Regent of Spain, and by her side the youthful king 
in royal apparel. The other represented a hollow- 
cheeked Cuban mother with her gaunt and starving 
boy. It was easy to imagine, between the two pic- 
tures, the malignant face of the wicked one. Our 
armies and fleets go forth under a divine commission 
to destroy his works. Their watchword is, "The 
Spaniard must go ! " 

But there is a broader view. The malignant power 
of the Prince of Darkness is seen everywhere about 
us. Crimes and oppressions, sensuality, Sabbath 
desecration, intemperance; all these are works of the 
wicked one. There are seven thousand dramshops 
on Manhattan Island! These are open mouths of 
hell. There is not a right-thinking or respectable 
man in any community that will undertake to defend 
the saloon. It fills our prisons and workhouses, our 
asylums and hospitals. It has wrought evil and only 
evil, and is to-day the most potent and universal 
expression of Satanic influence on earth. Do we say, 
in view of long-continued tyranny and oppression in 
Cuba, "The Spaniard must go?" Where is our 
sense of just proportion that we do not add, with 
united voice, "The dramshop must go! " 

Our young men cannot all enlist in this national 
campaign. But God calls upon them all to go forth 
on a crusade against the wicked one, and none is 
exempt. This is the Holy War. The man who does 



308 THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG MAN. 

not enlist, misses the splendid opportunity of life. 
When the Northern kings, under Sisera, came down 
against Israel, the beacons were kindled on the moun- 
tain tops and the tribes were summoned to go forth. 
The roll was called: "Judah." " Here! "— " Eph- 
raim." "Here!" — One by one they answered to 
their names. — "Meroz." There was silence. Where 
was Meroz? Among the sheepfolds listening to the 
bleating of the flocks. — On went the army to the 
defence of Israel. The great battle was fought by 
the waters of Megiddo. But in the song of victory 
there was a minor strain: "Curse ye Meroz, curse 
ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came 
not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord 
against the mighty!" 

The Captain of our salvation comes this way. He 
speaks to every earnest youth, "Follow me! Follow 
me to the Holy War! To him that overcometh will 
I give to sit together with me in my throne." He 
awaits your answer. Will you waste your energies in 
the pursuit of perishable things, or will you hear the 
summons to a better, nobler life? God grant that it 
may be written of you, "And he arose and followed 
him." 



THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 

"And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand 
spear or sword ? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with 
me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The 
sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, 
behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod : if thou wilt take that, 
take it ; for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none 
like that ; give it me."— I. Samuel 21, 8-9. 

The sword here mentioned had an interesting 
story. The armorer who forged it was doubtless 
advised that no common blade would answer the 
needs of Goliath of Gath. "Make me a mighty 
sword," said the giant, "with a hilt to fit this brawny 
hand, a point for a mortal thrust and a double blade, 
sharpened like a razor's edge. Make it strong, yet 
not too heavy; well tempered and pliant, yet not too 
brittle, lest it snap and betray me ; nor yet too soft, 
lest it turn its edge. In a word, let it be the weapon 
for a warrior of six cubits and a span." 

It hung in the scabbard, strapped to Goliath's 
thigh, in the valley of Elah, when he proclaimed his 
challenge to the armies of Israel: "Why are ye come 
out to set yourselves in battle array ? Am not I a 
Philistine ? Choose you a man and let him come 
down to me! " Day after day, brandishing his spear, 
he uttered those boastful words; and, lo, all Israel 

(309) 



310 THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 

was dismayed. On the morning of the fortieth day, 
he saw coming toward him a ruddv youth of a fair 
countenance, with no weapon but a leathern thong. 
His pride was affronted. "Am I a dog that thou comest 
to me with staves'" And he cursed the young athlete 
by his gods. It was a brave word that rang back across 
the valley, "Thou comest to me with a sword and 
with a spear and with a shield, but I come to thee in 
the name of the Lord of hosts! This day he will 
deliver thee into my hand, and I will give thy carcass 
to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the earth; 
that all the earth may know that there is a God in 
Israel! " And even as Goliath laughed his derision, 
a smooth stone from the leathern thong smote him 
and he fell headlong. Then the youth ran, bent over 
him, drew the champion's sword from its scabbard, 
cut off his head; and with the dripping sword in one 
hand and that gory trophy in the other he returned 
to Saul's pavilion; while the valley rang with accla- 
mations, " There is a God in Israel ! " 

In due time the sword of Goliath was placed in the 
tabernacle, not as a trophy of David's prowess, but 
as a thank-offering to God. It was meet that he 
should thus express his gratitude, for the battle was 
the Lord's. He had no reason to suppose that he 
would ever see that sword again ; indeed he seems to 
have quite forgotten it. How many things had 
happened since he carried it to the Holy Place! He 
had known the vicissitudes of life in a palace; he had 
distinguished himself on the high places of the held; 
he had been driven into exile by his jealous sovereign 
and hunted like a partridge over the hills. 



THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 311 

He now presented himself at the door of the taber- 
nacle, a lonely fugitive. In his adventurous life he 
had lost his simple faith. He begged for food. The 
priest had none to offer but the loaves of shewbread. 
Necessity knows no law. David satisfied his hunger; 
and then, being unarmed, begged for a weapon. 
The priest said, ''The sword of Goliath is here 
wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod ; if thou wilt 
take that, take it; for there is none other." And 
David said, " There is none like that ; give it me." 

He knew the weapon well. It was a tried and 
trusty blade. True, an enemy had forged it and a 
hostile hand had wielded it; but David knew its 
weight, its temper and the sharpness of its edge. 
Experientia docet. Why shall he not use this weapon 
now in self-defense ? 

Here is our lesson. The adversary has forged 
many a sword against us; we may wield them to our 
own advantage, by the help of God. The key to a 
manly career is in knowing how to turn the tables 
on the enemy. Macaulay says, "The secret of suc- 
cess is to triumph over environment and prove one's 
self superior to adverse circumstance." This is pos- 
sible, if God be with us. 

" I like the man who faces what he must 

With step triumphant and a heart of cheer; 
Who fights the daily battle without fear; 
Sees his hopes fail, yet keeps unfaltering trust 
That God is God; that somehow, true and just, 
His plans work out for mortals; not a tear 
Is shed when fortune, which the world holds dear, 

Falls from his grasp; better, with love, a crust 
Than living in dishonor; envies not, 



312 THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 

Nor loses faith in man; but does his best, 
Nor even murmurs at his humbler lot; 

But with a smile and words of hope, gives zest 
To every toiler ; he alone is great, 
Who by a life heroic conquers fate." 

The enemy is digging a pit to ensnare us. Let 
him dig it deep and wide; the deeper, the better; for, 
please God, he himself shall fall into it. He is rear- 
ing a gallows on which, like Haman, he means to 
hang us. Let him make it fifty cubits high; for in 
God's providence he himself shall dangle from the 
rope's end. He is forging a weapon. Let him 
temper it well and whet it to a razor's edge; for, by 
the truth of Jehovah-jireh, he himself shall test the 
sharpness of it. 

I. The sharpest sword that ever was forged against a 
mortal man is Sin. All have felt it. Where is the 
man who does not bear its scars? Some of us can 
show unhealed wounds. But even sin, fierce and 
terrible though it be, may be turned upon the foe to 
our own advantage. For, is it not written, "All 
things work together for good to them that love 
God"? But whoever would use this weapon must 
grasp it aright. There are three conditions; if we 
meet them, the victory is ours. 

(i). Confession. We must admit at the outset that 
we are sinners. Let there be no mouthing of excuses 
nor disguising of the dreadful fact. The Orientals 
say that when an elephant is about to bathe, he 
muddies the water, that he may not see the deformity 
of his feet. We are in danger of making our con- 
fession in the same way. It is impossible to ex- 



THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 313 

aggerate the sinfulness of sin. The iron has entered 
into our souls. We are under the deserved wrath of 
God. Let the prayer of David be ours: "Have 
mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving 
kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender 
mercies blot out my transgressions ! For against thee, 
thee only, have I sinned and done evil in thy sight." 

(2). Absolution. God has made an abundant pro- 
vision for our pardon: "The blood of Jesus Christ 
his Son cleanseth us from all sin." There is no 
reason why any, listening to these words, should for 
another hour abide under the penalty of the broken 
law. Christ has been crucified for us. He has borne 
our sins in his own body on the tree. Look and live! 
There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ 
Jesus. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
as white as snow. Put away pride and prejudice, 
and close in with the overtures of mercy. He that 
believeth in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved; sin 
shall have no more power over him. 

3. Renunciation. "Go and sin no more." Have 
the grace to profit by experience. If you have visited 
Edinburgh Castle, you will remember a path along 
the precipitous cliff where the enemy climbed up on 
a dark night and scaled the wall. But only once; for 
just there the wall was trebled and a watch tower set 
up. You know your besetting sin. The breach in 
the wall reveals your immediate duty. Station senti- 
nels there. Be on the watch. Are you prone to 
avarice, love of pleasure, unholy ambition, sensuality? 
Know your infirmity; guard t\ie breach; sin no 
more. 



314 THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 

The man who has attended to these three — confes- 
sion, absolution, renunciation — is in a coign of van- 
tage, where he may get the better of his sin. The 
place nearest to the heavenly throne is reserved for 
those who have fought their way heavenward with 
this weapon. The angels sing, "Holy, holy, Lord 
God Almighty!" but sinners saved by grace, — the 
penitent thief, Mary the Magdalene and a great mul- 
titude whom no man can number — sing a sweeter 
song: " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain; for he 
has redeemed us by his blood and made us to be 
kings and priests unto God!" 

II. Adversity also is a weapon forged against us. How 
shall we regard it ? As cowards who lie down and 
suffer the torrent to overwhelm them ? As stoics who 
say, "What can't be cured must be endured"? Nay; 
rather as Christians, who believe that affliction work- 
eth for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight 
of glory. 

Are there hot, fierce fingers clutching at your heart ? 
O the sharpness of pain and disease! But here is the 
making of manhood. Paul's thorn in the flesh was 
"a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him." He 
prayed thrice that it might be removed, and God an- 
swered, " My grace shall be sufficient for thee." He 
lived to render thanks for the ministry of that thorn ; 
saying, " If I must needs glory, I will glory in tribu- 
lation; for when I am weak, then am I strong." It 
is a true saying, " No affliction for the present seem- 
eth to be joyous, but grievous ; but in the end it yield- 
eth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them 
which are exercised thereby." The leprosy of Naa- 



THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 315 

man was his deliverance from death. Not a few 
were driven to Jesus during his earthly ministry by 
their acquaintance with the ills that human flesh is 
heir to. A great musical critic was asked his opinion 
of the singing of a young debutante; he said, "It 
lacks the depth of sorrow, the passion of tears. If I 
were a young man, I would court her, marry her if 
possible, maltreat her, break her heart; and in six 
months she would be the greatest singer in Europe." 

Are you a prisoner of poverty ? Even poverty has 
its compensations. Our best men are those who have 
worked their way. There was a penniless lad in 
Dartmouth, out at knees and elbows, who received 
from a well-meaning friend a recipe for oiling shoes; 
to which he replied, grimly, " I would thank you for 
a recipe to keep out water and gravel-stones." Yet 
this youth, Daniel Webster, spurred on by difficulty, 
blazed a way for himself to a foremost place in the 
ranks of successful men. 

But you have tried and failed ? what then ? There 
is deep pathos in the words, " Receiver's Sale •," above 
a tradesman's door. It tells of fruitless toil, of anx- 
iety and buffeting, of honest effort come to naught. 
Nevertheless, defeat may lead to noblest triumph. 
If Russia is a great power to-day, it is because Peter 
the Great was defeated two hundred years ago by 
Charles XII of Sweden, who marched against him 
with a paltry twenty thousand. By that event the 
Czar was stimulated to drill and mobilize his undis- 
ciplined armies; and the result is seen in the com- 
manding position of the Russian empire at this day. 

The worst of failures is in Christian living. Have 



316 THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 

you tried there, my brother, and failed ? Be not dis- 
heartened ; to your knees, and make defeat an omen 
of success. Profit by experience. No man ever failed 
more ignominiously than the apostle who denied his 
Lord thrice with a bitter curse. But he never denied 
him again. The man of impulse and vacillation, 
throwing himself at Jesus' feet, rose up the Man of 
Rock. Our extremity is God's opportunity. His 
strength is made perfect in our weakness. The sword 
of the enemy in a brave hand, backed by a believing 
heart, is the best of weapons for an earnest life. 

III. But what shall be said as to the sharpness of Death ? 
This also is a weapon of Satan's forging. God never 
meant that we should speak of Death as "the King 
of Terrors." Were it not for sin, our dissolution 
would be as peaceful as that of Moses, of whom the 
Rabbis say, "God kissed away his breath"; as tri- 
umphant as that of Elijah, who ascended in a chariot 
of fire to his heavenly home. We are affrighted at 
death only because of that which lies beyond. The 
thought of the Great Day, the possibility of an end- 
less night, appal us. Yet the anticipation of death 
may be made a mighty stimulus to earnest endeavor 
and a noble life. How may we thus turn it to ad- 
vantage ? 

(i) Face the fact. Why should we be cowards ? 
We are bound to die. Let us feel the edge of this 
weapon, as Jesus did in Gethsemane. The purple 
cup which was placed to his lips was full of the horror 
of death. He trembled as he looked upon it. " O 
my Father," he prayed, " let this cup pass from me! " 
And again, " O my Father, if it be possible let this 



THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 317 

cup pass from me ?" And again, "O my Father, if 
it be not possible, thy will, not mine, be done." And, 
in appreciation of its full significance, he drank it. 

(2) Prepare for it. "The sting of death is sin." 
Christ came into the world to destroy that sting. Go 
to the cross and behold him conquering death by 
death; enduring in his own soul its bitterness for 
you. Go to the open sepulcher and sing your tri- 
umph: " O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where 
is thy victory ? The sting of death is sin, and the 
strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God who 
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ ! " 

(3) Do your appointed work. There is no time to 
waste. " Say not, There are yet four months and 
then cometh the harvest; lift up your eyes and see; 
behold, the fields are already white unto the harvest." 
There is character to build ; there is good to be done ; 
there is trouble to assuage; there are souls to save; 
there are strongholds of evil to be broken down. 

" Make haste, O man, to live, 
For thou so soon must die ; 
Time hurries past thee like the wind — 
How swift its moments fly." 

Do your work; do it well; do it now. The King's 
business requireth haste. And you shall face the 
great mystery at last, as Paul did, with joyful antici- 
pation. He had ended his journeys among the Mace- 
donian hills; he had finished his preaching in cities, 
in synagogues and in prisons. What more remained ? 
" I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my 
departure is at hand; I have fought the good fight, I 
have finished my course, I have kept the faith; there 



318 THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 

is, henceforth, laid up for me the crown of righteous- 
ness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give 
to me at that day! " 

Thus we learn the lesson of Goliath's sword. All 
things work together for our good. We win our 
triumphs with arrows from the quiver of the enemy. 
Samson's riddle is solved: " Out of the eater cometh 
forth meat, and out of the strong cometh forth sweet- 
ness. " 

And here, as everywhere, Christ is our example. 
The cross was intended for his overthrow. It was 
called "the accursed tree." But Christ assumed it, 
bore it patiently, triumphed over it, and is now con- 
quering the world with it. The cross gleams on in- 
numerable spires, is worn as an amulet over the hearts 
of believers and stands in history as a divine symbol 
of victory. 

" In the cross of Christ I glory, 
Towering o'er the wrecks of time." 

It is probable that when David left the tabernacle 
that day, grasping the sword of Goliath, he lay down 
to rest in a lonely place. He placed the sword beside 
the stone which served as his pillow, and kept his 
hand upon it. In the watches of that night memory 
was busy. It seemed but yesterday that he had gone 
forth against the champion of Gath. He heard again 
the challenge ring across the valley. He remembered 
the prayer with which he winged the smooth stone 
as it flew from the leathern thong. He heard the 
shouts of the Israelites as he bent above his fallen 
foe. He felt again the grateful pride with which he 



THE SWORD OF GOLIATH. 319 

had presented himself at the royal pavilion. And, 
alas! he bitterly recalled his forgetfulness of divine 
mercy. He had wandered on the dark mountains 
far from God. When he awoke, his hand was still 
upon Goliath's sword ; he drew it from the scabbard 
and looked along the blade. Was it rusted with 
blood? It seemed as if the weapon had been reforged 
while he slept. What is this that he reads upon it ? 
"There is a God in Israel." This should henceforth 
be to him not the sword of Goliath but the sword of 
the Lord. And he arose in newness of faith and 
went upon his way. 

If God be upon our side, my friends, the weapon 
has never been forged that can hurt or destroy us. 
If God be for us, who shall be against us? All hope 
of success lies there. Look upon the giant's sword 
again. Read there the divine promise: "All things 
work together for good to them that love God." All 
things! Aye ; pardoned sin, sorrow, and death's 
sharpness, all must serve thee. Go forth in this thy 
might. Be strong; be of good courage; for the 
sword of Goliath has become for thee "the sword of 
the Spirit which is the word of God." 



THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 

" For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known 
unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-wit- 
nesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, 
when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my be- 
loved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from 
heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a 
more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto 
a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise 
in your hearts : knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any 
private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of 
man : but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. — 
I. Peter i, 16-21. 

The greatest of current questions is this: What 
think ye of Jesus which is called the Christ ? It be- 
hoves every thoughtful man to address himself at 
once and with all earnestness to this consideration; 
for herein are the issues of life and death. 

At this point we observe a grave difference of 
opinion. There are millions of people who believe 
in Christ as their Lord and Saviour, who regard him 
as chiefest among ten thousand and altogether love- 
ly, and have accordingly surrendered all their powers 
of body and soul to him. There are other millions 
to whom he has no form nor comeliness that they 
should desire him ; who reject his Messianic claims 
and overtures of mercy, saying, "We will not have 
him to rule over us." 

(320) 



THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 321 

It is passing strange that there should be such a 
divergence of opinion in a matter involving our 
eternal destiny. If the doctrines of the Christian 
religion are false, then the believers of the past 
have walked in a dream, they that have fallen 
asleep in Christ are perished, and we are but 
drowning men grasping at straws. Then the Church 
is a masterpiece of folly, history a bewildering 
puzzle, Christendom a blot on the map of the 
world, the progress of these nineteen centuries a 
phosphorescent gleam in the blackness of darkness, 
life a labyrinth without a clew, and death a plunge 
into an unbroken night. 

But if the claims of Christianity are true, what 
then ? All other systems are false and pernicious, 
for " he that believeth shall be saved and he that be- 
lieveth not shall be damned"; scepticism is blind- 
ness, indifference a fatal mistake, rejection of Christ 
an unpardonable sin, and a great multitude, among 
whom are many of our dearest friends, are fatuitously 
hurrying on, lockstep, quickstep, to spiritual and 
eternal death. 

In view of such considerations it should be the first 
business of every earnest man to determine this ques- 
tion, pro or contra, without delay. There is no 
neutral ground. Indifference is the height of folly. 
There are many who claim to be "honest doubters." 
Let them put themselves to the test, for there is a 
serious misapprehension here. " Doubt is either the 
agony of a noble soul or the trifling of a fool." It is 
greatly to be feared that many who think themselves 
truth-seekers are self -deceived. Are they doing their 



32 2 THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 

best, with all aids at command, to determine the 
great problems of life ? An honest doubter is one 
who, realizing the importance of the issue, rests not 
day nor night until he arrives at truth. He puts 
away all preconceptions and, with a clear conscience 
and a single purpose, addresses himself to the point 
at issue. He seeks no neutral ground. He perceives 
that there is only one alternative: either to receive 
Christ at his word — in which case he will close in 
with his overtures and devote his life to him — or else 
to reject him outright as a self-deluded fanatic or 
wilful impostor, unworthy of faith or countenance. 
"How long halt ye between two opinions; if the 
Lord be God, follow him; if Baal, then follow him." 
If, then, my friend, you are an honest doubter, you 
will weigh the evidence at once, and determine upon 
it. You will not be satisfied to hold judgment in 
suspense. You will do one thing or the other, accept 
Christ or reject him. And, pending the settlement 
of this question, you will not sleep soundly or go 
about your secular tasks with a light heart; for that 
would be to trifle with destiny. You are standing at 
the crossroads; the responsibility of choice confronts 
you. Caesar at the banks of the Rubicon was under 
no more immediate constraint than you just now. 
How long did he pause ? Only long enough to weigh 
the argument. To remain where he was meant failure ; 
to cross would plunge the nation into civil war; he 
passed over, saying, "The die is cast! " Great prob- 
lems do not await our convenience; to solve them 
without fear, delay, or vacillation, is to quit ourselves 
like men. 



THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 323 

But how shall we decide ? View the evidence can- 
didly, fearlessly, and at once. The gospel appeals 
to reason. If the testimony offered in its support is 
inadequate, reject it. But go into court, and remain 
there until you have heard the case through and 
passed upon it. 

In our text Peter sets forth the lines of evidence in 
favor of Christianity. They are three: Oral Testimony, 
Scripture, and Personal Experience. "A threefold 
cord is not quickly broken." 

I. As to Oral Testimony. He says, "We have not 
followed cunningly devised fables, when we made 
known unto you the power and coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ; but were eye-witnesses of his majesty." 
He is speaking to those who had not seen Jesus in 
the flesh. He himself had heard his sermons, seen 
his miracles, witnessed his wonderful life. In partic- 
ular, he had been with him in the Mount of Transfig- 
uration, had seen the garments of the Nazarene flutter 
aside for a moment, revealing the royal purple, and 
had heard a voice from heaven saying, "This is my 
beloved Son." This was no dream, no fable, no hal- 
lucination; he had seen and heard it. And there 
were others who, as eyewitnesses, were prepared to 
testify as to the divine character and mission of Christ. 
This sort of testimony is still offered to sustain the 
gospel claim. But you say, "This is mere hearsay." 
We answer: 

(1) Such evidence has valid weight. We are all 
the while accepting it. How do we know that light 
travels at the rate of 186,000 miles a second ? We 
accept it on the testimony of men who have investi- 



324 THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 

gated the matter. How do we know that a Spanish 
fleet is lying at the bottom of Manila harbor ? Men 
who were present have told us so. How do we know 
that Croton water is fit to drink ? We rest on the 
assurance of scientists who have analyzed it. Ninety- 
nine per cent, of our knowledge comes by hearsay. 
We receive the testimony of eye-witnesses unless there 
is a special reason for rejecting it. 

(2) Such evidence, in favor of Christianity, has a 
vast cumulative value for us. In Peter's time there 
were a few witnesses who could say, "That which we 
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which 
we have looked upon and our hands have handled of 
the word of life, declare we unto you." We have the 
testimony of a great multitude, a procession issuing 
from the upper room in Jerusalem, and increasing 
along the centuries from hundreds to thousands, from 
thousands to millions; — passing through the light of 
fagot-fires and under the shadow of dungeons and 
gallows-trees, declaring the testimony of Jesus and 
singing his praises until they disappear amid the 
glory streaming from the heavenly gates. There are 
some hundreds of millions of people living to-day 
who are prepared to testify as to their personal expe- 
rience in the saving power of the gospel. They all 
certify with one accord, "We were sinners, troubled 
with a certain fearful looking-for of judgment. We 
came to Jesus Christ for salvation, trusting to the 
efficacy of his blood. He said, ' Thy sins be forgiven 
thee ! ' and his peace that passeth all understanding 
came into our hearts. He is our present help; and 
as to the future, we are without fear. We have not 



THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 325 

followed cunningly devised fables. We speak from 
experience. We know whom we have believed, and 
are persuaded that he is able to keep that which we 
have committed to him until that day." It is sub- 
mitted that so great a body of testimony is of over- 
whelming weight. To a reasonable man it must be 
absolutely conclusive, unless some definite rebuttal is 
forthcoming. No court of justice would reject it. 

The only question is as to the character of the wit- 
nesses. Can their credibility be impeached ? Peter 
and his fellow-apostles were men of humble origin 
but unquestioned honesty, who had everything to 
lose and nothing to gain by their championship of the 
crucified Nazarene; and with their blood they sealed 
their devotion to him. The great body of believers 
who succeeded them did not claim to be impeccable 
saints, only sinners saved by grace; nevertheless they 
showed in their walk and conversation the sincerity 
of their convictions and the transforming power of 
the gospel. And what shall be said of those who 
constitute the Universal Church of to-day ? Let a 
thousand be taken at random from any fellowship of 
believers, and a thousand from without; and let a 
just comparison be made between them. We will 
abide the issue. It was by such comparison that 
Alexander Pope, himself an unbeliever, was moved 
to make this historical definition, "A Christian is the 
highest style of man." 

II. The next line of evidence is Scripture ; of which 
Peter says, "We have also a more sure word of 
prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as 
unto a light that shineth in a dark place." 



326 THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 

How precious is the Book divine 

By inspiration given ; 
Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine, 

To guide our souls to heaven. 

The Scriptures are here characterized by Peter as 
"more sure," that is, than oral testimony. The word 
of eye-witnesses is corroborated by divine revelation. 
This is the court of last appeal. 

It is obvious that there must be somewhere a final 
criterion of truth. There are standards of weight 
and measure at Washington for the testing of every 
pound and yard-stick in our land. It cannot be sup- 
posed that the Heavenly Father would set his chil- 
dren adrift without a chart for their direction. This 
is the ground and rationale of the Scriptures. They 
were intended to be an ultimate and infallible rule of 
faith. And they are so received, despite all contro- 
versy, by the universal church. The man who rejects 
them is bound, in justice to himself, to find some 
other court of final authority, where he may seek, 
amid the noise of conflicting voices, a confirmation 
of spiritual truth. 

The apostle justifies his confidence in the Scriptures 
by adding that they "came not by the will of man ; 
but holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy 
Ghost." If this means anything, it means that the 
men who wrote the Scriptures did not sit down of 
themselves, with stylus and parchment, saying, "I 
will write an account of the Creation," or, "I will 
write the history of Israel," or, "I will write a pre- 
diction of the Messiah"; but they proceeded to their 
work and performed it under the direction and con- 



THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 327 

trol of the Spirit. The figure is that of a vessel 
under sail. They were " moved " by the Holy Ghost 
as a ship is borne onward by the wind filling its 
canvas. They wrote what they were told to write by 
the Spirit of God. 

Still further, the apostle says that the Scriptures so 
written are not "of any private interpretation." The 
word rendered "private" is idia, literally "one's 
own." This means that no man is his own inter- 
preter. When we speak of "the right of private 
judgment " with reference to Scriptures, we mean to 
exclude all human interposition ; but alas for the 
man who approaches revelation in the dim light of 
reason alone. The finite cannot grasp the infinite. 
"Spiritual things are spiritually discerned." God, 
who gave the Scriptures, must help us to understand 
them. The Holy Ghost, by whom the sacred page 
is illuminated, opens our eyes, that we may wisely 
read it. The chancellor of Queen Candace, riding 
in his chariot, with the parchment before him, knit 
his brows in perplexity as he read the prophecy of 
Isaiah, "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a 
lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouthy 
Philip the evangelist, walking alongside and hearing 
him, asked, " Understandest thou what thou read- 
est ? " He wisely answered, "How can I, except 
some man shall guide me ? " He was then guided by 
the Spirit; and the truth flashed upon him. 

In order to understand the Scriptures, we must 
put away all preconceptions of doctrine and accept 
this divine aid. In default of that, they are as if 
written in an unknown tongue. If we read by "our 



328 THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 

own interpretation," we read to our own undoing. 
When Galileo sought to convince his accusers by say- 
ing, " Look through my telescope and you shall see 
Jupiter's moons for yourselves;" they answered, "If 
we did, we should have no case against you. " This is 
why men so often see nothing in Scripture, or read only 
to the confirmation of their errors; they refuse the 
influence of the Spirit, by which the truths of Reve- 
lation would be made plain and clear before their eyes. 

III. One more line of evidence is named by Peter j to 
wit, Personal Experience. We are like wanderers in 
the night; voices are heard about us, saying, "This 
is the way, walk ye in it; " better still, the Bible is 
given us as a lantern "shining in a dark place "; but 
when yonder we see the light of the morning, our 
perplexity is over. Thus personal experience adds 
final confirmation to oral testimony and Scripture. 
Peter says we do well to listen to the word of eye- 
witnesses and to give heed to the lamp-light of 
prophecy " until the day dawn and the day star arise 
in your hearts.'" 

O taste and see that the Lord is good! " He that 
hath the Son of God, hath the witness in himself." 
All voices, human and divine, are ineffective until by 
vital appropriation we make the gospel an indwelling 
fact. Then we know that Jesus Christ hath power 
on earth to forgive sins. Then we, becoming wit- 
nesses ourselves, can testify that his love is an ease- 
ment of all pain and sorrow. Then we feel his 
friendship as the great incentive to spiritual growth 
and usefulness. The truth is put beyond all per- 
adventure when the day star arises in our hearts. 



THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 329 

A woman came running into the city of Samaria, 
saying, "I went out to Jacob's well to draw water; 
and a wayfarer met me who spake as never yet man 
spake of spiritual things; he told me all things that 
ever I did. Is not this the Messiah for whom we 
have been looking ? Come and see." They followed 
her back to the well and heard him. They besought 
him to be their guest and he abode with them two 
days; and many believed because of his word. Then 
they said to the woman, ''Now we believe, not be- 
cause of thy saying; for we have heard him ourselves 
and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour 
of the world." Thus in the last reduction a man is 
savingly convinced only by personal experience; when 
he can say, "I have met Christ, have made his ac- 
quaintance, have reasoned with him by the way, have 
learned to love him." 

One thing is better, and only one — to see him in the 
brightness of his heavenly glory. The day star itself 
shall fade in the high noon of heaven. Here we walk 
by faith; there hope shall be lost in fruition, and 
faith in sight. We shall behold the King in his 
beauty; and we shall be like him, for we shall see 
him as he is. 

A native convert in the South Sea Islands gave this 
testimony: "I listened to the Missionary when he 
spoke of sin, and he and I were like two canoes go- 
ing side by side. Then he spoke of salvation, and I 
dropped behind — mast broken and sail blown away — 
while he sped on. The sea drove me on a barren 
coast, where I lay helpless for a time. I arose in 
blackness and darkness and felt my way like one 



33° THE GOSPEL OF CERTAINTY. 

groping along a wall. Then I seemed to touch a 
door; I pushed for my life ; it flew open, and I beheld 
my Saviour, the glory shining in his face ! " 

The fullness of revelation is before us. Meanwhile 
let us use the light we have and live up to it. Let 
us listen to the voices of eye-witnesses, follow the 
gleam of the Scriptures and heed the testimony of 
our hearts. Here is the secret of peace and moral 
earnestness. And in due time all shadows will vanish 
in the Sun's glory. Our path shall be "as the shin- 
ing light, which shineth more and more unto the 
perfect day." 



THE TOWER OF BABEL. 

" And they said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower whose top may 
reach unto heaven : and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad 
upon the face of the whole earth."— Gen. n, 4. 

Is this a true story ? There are those who regard 
it as a myth or legend coming down from the primi- 
tive ages. Others, who hesitate to pronounce any 
portion of Scripture false, view it as an allegory. 
This, however, is evasion. Tell a child that the story 
of Washington and his hatchet is to be taken in an 
allegorical sense, and his just conclusion will be that 
you do not believe it. 

There are certain facts to be accounted for: One is 
the Unity of the Race. It is the custom of ethnolo- 
gists to trace the lineage of nations through a three- 
fold channel, Aryan, Shemitic and Turanian, back to 
a single source. Another is the Confusion of Tongues. 
Such philologists as Bunsen, Rawlinson and Max 
Muller, argue from a multiplicity of cognate words 
and phrases that all languages sprang from one origi- 
nal. And still another fact is ''the Aryan Cradle." 
It is commonly held that somewhere on the great 
central table-land of Asia there was a gathering of the 
clans from which successive migrations went forth to 
people the earth. These are conceded facts. If the 
story of Babel is not true, they must be accounted for 

(33O 



332 THE TOWER OF BABEL. 

in some other way. The presumption is in favor of 
the narrative until something better shall be found to 
supplant it. 

At the subsidence of the Flood the survivors were 
Noah, his three sons, and their families. In gratitude 
for deliverance, they "builded an altar unto the 
Lord " and, gathering around it in prayer, made due 
acknowledgment to him. They lifted their eyes and, 
lo! the bow of promise was over them. And God 
said, "This is the token of the covenant which I 
make between me and you: I do set my bow in the 
cloud ; the waters shall no more become a flood to 
destroy all flesh." At the same time he divided the 
earth among them and commanded them to "go 
forth and replenish it." 

In pursuance of that command they left Ararat and 
journeyed toward the west. The regions through 
which they passed were marked by the desolations of 
the deluge, but presently they came to the plain of 
Shinar, where nature was now putting on a new garb 
of beauty and fertility. There they tarried in all 
probability for some hundreds of years, during which 
they were greatly multiplied. Why should they go 
further ? They were prosperous and content. Then 
came the happy thought : "Go to, let us build us a tower 
whose top may reach unto heaven j and let us make us a 
name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole 
earth. " The issue showed that this was a foolish plan. 
They made some serious mistakes. 

Their first mistake was in saying, " Let us make us 
a name." What right has a man or a nation to " a 
name " ? The difference between greatness and me- 



THE TOWER OF BABEL. $$7, 

diocrity is purely conventional ; it is a mere measure- 
ment of atoms. Plutarch says that Flaminius, on 
supping with a wealthy friend, complained of the 
surfeiting and bewildering variety of dishes; to which 
his host replied, "Give yourself no uneasiness; all 
are of swine's flesh, differing only in the sauce and 
dressing." So it is with men whose breath is in their 
nostrils ; great and little, they came from dust, and 
must return to it. Call the roll: "Caesar!" "Alex- 
ander!" "Napoleon!" What are they? A living 
dog is better than a dead lion. Comparisons are 
grotesque. Ambition is tragi-comedy. " The paths 
of glory lead but to the grave." No name is worth 
getting which is not possible to the humblest. 

" To serve the present age, 
My calling to fulfill; 
O, may it all my powers engage 
To do my Master's will ! " 

The same is true of nations. The path of history 
is lined with ruined thrones and dynasties. Sic transit 
gloria mundi. At this moment we are dreaming 
dreams of American greatness. We have reached 
the danger line. Our momentary victory over an 
effete sovereignty has intoxicated us. We are saying, 
"This is great Babylon which I have built!" We 
are aspiring to join the syndicate of Great Powers. 
We are talking of an Anglo-Saxon alliance. Yes; 
by all means let us have alliances — alliances with all 
nations — on the basis of humanity, but not other- 
wise. God save us from an overweening pride ! Why 
should we join the procession that has marched 
through the centuries with trumpets and flying ban- 



334 THE TOWER OF BABEL. 

ners to dust and oblivion ? God has better things in 
store for us. John Adams said, " I always consider 
the discovery and settlement of America as the open- 
ing of a divine scheme for the illumination of dark- 
ness and the emancipation of the oppressed peoples 
of the earth." Let this be our glory, this our name: 
to fulfill our manifest destiny as a nation divinely ap- 
pointed to give shelter to the persecuted and to send 
forth the evangel. As a Christian people, it behooves 
us to clasp hands with all other Christian peoples in 
the great enterprises of humanity and universal evan- 
gelization. In this let us content ourselves, and go 
on singing: 

Our father's God, to Thee, 
Author of liberty, 

To Thee we sing. 
Long may our land be bright 
With freedom's holy light, 
Protect us by Thy might, 

Great God, our King ! 

The second mistake of the Babelites was in their de- 
termination not to be " scattered over the face of the 
whole earth." In point of fact it was God's purpose 
that they should disperse and possess the earth. It 
was with this in view that he had made the landed 
apportionment. They had apparently forgotten the 
injunction delivered to them under the bow of prom- 
ise. They were guilty of insubordination in resolving 
thus to abide in the vale of Shinar. 

It is bad policy for a nation to shut itself up within 
a Chinese wall. At the beginning of our history, we 
formulated the Monroe Doctrine. This was our 



THE TOWER OF BABEL. 335 

Tower of Babel. The Washington construction of 
that doctrine forbade the forming of any " foreign 
entanglements." It seemed, indeed, as if we should 
find difficulty enough in caring for our own welfare, 
without concerning ourselves about the affairs of the 
nations at large. God thought otherwise. A time 
came when we were invited, not to say divinely in- 
structed, to lend a hand in the overthrow of the un- 
speakable Turk and the deliverance of a persecuted 
people. But Armenia was too far away. We re- 
minded the Lord of our domestic policy and insisted 
that this was a foreign affair, in which we could not 
entangle ourselves. He then pointed to Cuba, say- 
ing, "Behold a desolated and starving people at your 
door." It was to no avail. Three weary years 
went by; then, down went the Maine! And the 
spray of that dismal wreck rose like a beacon to ad- 
monish us. That was God's way of broadening our 
theory of national life. It was as if he said, " This is 
not a question of vicinage. Open your ears to the 
cry of humanity! Send out your heart to the utter- 
most parts of the earth!" 

It is bad policy for a church, also, to remain in 
the vale of Shinar. The Master's word was, " Go, 
evangelize." His disciples, a feeble folk, and terrified 
by their Lord's tragical death, insisted en remaining 
at Jerusalem. One day as they were gathered in an 
open court there was a sound as of a rushing, mighty 
wind. The power of the Spirit rested upon them, 
and they began to speak in divers tongues. If this 
meant anything, it was a plain intimation that with 
this polyglot preparation they were to go and preach 



336 THE TOWER OF BABEL. 

the gospel among all the peoples of the earth. But 
they were slow to apprehend the great commission; 
they still huddled at Jerusalem. Then came the 
stoning of Stephen. They looked into each other's 
faces, pale, terrified, whispering, "Our beloved deacon 
is slain ! " And in various directions they fled, ' ' going 
everywhere," and carrying with them the unsearch- 
able riches of Christ. God had endeavored to draw 
them toward their duty with the cords of a man; 
but, failing in that, he resorted to the scourge. No 
church can work in upon itself and live. Far better 
a plain conventicle with a broad heart than the finest 
cathedral that ever was reared to be occupied by a 
people whose wizened souls were walled in by selfish 
respectability. The currents of ecclesiastical life are 
centrifugal. "There is that scattereth, and yet 
increaseth; and there is that withholdeth, and it 
tendeth to poverty." To go into all the earth is to 
flourish like a vineyard on a southern slope; to tarry 
in Jerusalem is to perish of dry rot. 

The same holds true of the believer. To work out 
one's own salvation is the first of duties chronolog- 
ically; but it is only the beginning of the spiritual 
life. A man intent upon self-culture, praying for the 
deepening of his spiritual life, is further on, but still 
within the bounds of selfishness. A father pleading 
for the salvation of his household, claiming the bless- 
ings of the Abrahamic covenant, has made still further 
progress; but is yet only " beginning at Jerusalem." 
Let him not complain if, despite the sureness of the 
covenant, his sons and daughters go amiss by reason 
of his selfish insubordination. The old families of 



THE TOWER OF BABEL. 337 

Europe have sought from time immemorial to preserve 
their estates by entailing the inheritance; yet many 
of our American parvenus have crossed the sea to 
take possession of ancient castles. The law of entail 
impinges upon a law of nature. By the same token, 
it is impossible to entail the inheritance of grace. 
As you care for the salvation of your household, 
send forth your sympathies beyond the domestic 
circle. Forget not to communicate. Piety is like 
the fragrance of ointment: it cannot be clasped in the 
hand. It is like sunlight; you cannot box or bottle 
it. O God, enlarge our hearts! Help us to go forth 
and evangelize the earth. We must get beyond all 
narrow spheres. Our field is the world. No man 
liveth unto himself. Followers of Christ, disperse 
your energies! "Go" is the word; go in your 
prayers and sympathies with the evangel to the utter- 
most parts of the earth. Thus only can you bring 
your life into harmony with the divine will. 

The third mistake made by the Babel builders was in 
leaving God out of their reckoning. They made no 
mention of him. In proposing to build a citadel high 
enough to avoid all danger of another flood, they had 
apparently forgotten his bow of promise. Their 
tower was to reach unto heaven and stand like a fin- 
ger of defiance pointed at the throne. The story is 
told in three chapters : 

(i). A splendid conception. "Go to," they said 
in mutual congratulation. The architects were 
called ; plans and specifications were made. Immense ! 
magnificent! The structure was to be two miles in 
circumference, with a road broad enough for two 



35^ THE TOWER OF BABEL. 

chariots abreast, rising in seven spiral terraces 
toward the clouds. When it was finished they would 
ride in triumphal procession to the top. 

(2). Speedy execution. All set themselves with 
enthusiasm to the task. Here was clay, yonder was 
bitumen: clay and bitumen would make the best of 
bricks. The foundations were laid: the superstruc- 
ture rose, terrace upon terrace. The women and 
children looked on with admiration. There were 
plans for the dedication ceremonies. Xo doubt they 
would be practising hymns and arranging liturgies 
for the approaching day. 

(3). Sudden frustration. Our best laid plans 
gang aft aglee. God said. '"Go to: let us go down!"' 
He speaks after the manner of men. Indeed, he is 
always coming down to see. Close your ledger, lock 
your vault, keep your purposes close in your heart. 
Still will he search and discover all. One morning 
there came an effectual stay of proceedings. The 
toilers presented themselves to the master workman 
for instructions as usual: but they could not under- 
stand. One asked of another. "What is he saying"-" 
What had happened? Were all going daft? The 
place was filled with a jargon of confused voices. 
The workmen, perplexed and bewildered, "left oft" 
to build." Did you ever try to converse with a 
foreigner whose language you did not understand 
and who could not speak a word of English ? You 
were soon tired and must needs get up and go. This 
was precisely what the Babelites did. This was 
what God intended them to do : :-:: up and go. 
They gave up their project, they drifted apart by 



THE TOWER OF BABEL. 339 

diverse paths; they dispersed to people the earth. 

It is vain to oppose ourselves to the divine plan. 
Let the kings of the earth set themselves in array; he 
that sitteth in the heavens will laugh. I have watched 
a colony of ants building their home; bright and 
busy, running in and out, making bricks and raising 
their ambitious Babel higher and higher. Foolish 
little people ! How easy it is to discomfit them. You 
may topple their tower with your foot, and send them 
scampering hither and yon. So God holds in derision 
those who plan and purpose against his holy will. 

What is our lesson ? You have a purpose. I would 
not give a farthing for a man who has none. Do you 
mean to be rich ? Take heed how you leave God out 
of the reckoning, then, for you belong to him. Heap 
up your wealth, coin upon coin ; and observe how the 
image and superscription of the King is upon it. 
Kneel down by your strong boxes and say, "Here, 
Lord, is thine own ; what wilt thou have me do with 
it?" 

Or do you mean to make a name for yourself ? 
Take heed ; you are on dangerous ground. Some 
of the brilliant names of history — Byron, Robespierre, 
Philip II, Hildebrand, bloody Claverhouse, Napo- 
leon — are like bombs hissing through the air and dis- 
charging corrosive gases as they fall. These names 
are pilloried before the nations. The centuries hiss 
at them. But if you mean to make a name for piety 
and benevolence, to extend your influence for truth 
and righteousness, well and good. But take God 
into the reckoning. A name is worth having only so 
far as he may use it. 



34° THE TOWER OF BABEL. 

Or do you intend, above all, to work out salvation ? 
If so, one caution: hearken to the divine voice. The 
Lord has marked out the plan: "Other foundation 
can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus 
Christ." Beware of your own devices; lest, like the 
Babelites, you be brought to confusion. There is a 
way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end 
thereof is death. Take God at his word. He that 
believeth on the Son, hath life; he that believeth not, 
the wrath of God abideth upon him. 

Do your best. Make your life tell. Achieve a 
true success. It is said of ^Eropus that he was a 
great lantern-maker, but the poorest king that Mace- 
donia ever had. His success was his failure. So it 
may be with you, my friend. You may succeed in 
some lower sphere and fall short of the great pur- 
pose which God has concerning you. What are you 
making of yourself ? You are pushing on at a 
tremendous rate; but what for? Life is structural. 
Build on Christ and build the noblest. Be true to 
your royal birth, to your divine destiny. Live for 
your best self, the weal of your fellow-men, and, 
above all, the glory of God. 



THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 

il And the veil of the temple was rent in the midst."— Luke 23, 45. 

The veil here indicated was the Katapetasma, or 
inner veil of the tabernacle. It separated the two 
apartments, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. 
Josephus says it was sixty feet high. It hung from 
four pillars of gilded acacia wood. The hooks by 
which it was suspended were of gold, and its pillars 
rested in sockets of silver. The fabric itself was of 
fine twined linen, covered with richly embroidered 
cherubim. It typified the complex personality of 
Jesus, in which heaven and earth were interwoven as 
warp and woof; the attributes of Godhood being 
combined with the perfect graces of manhood in an 
absolute harmony of moral beauty. It is by the 
atoning work of Jesus, accomplished through this 
complex personality, that we regain our lost estate, 
as it is written, " Having, therefore, brethren, bold- 
ness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus; 
by a new and living way which he hath consecrated 
for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh ; let 
us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of 
faith." 

The rending of this veil was full of significance, as, 

(34O 



342 THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 

indeed, is every episode connected with the great 
tragedy. It occurred on Paschal Friday, the fifteenth 
of Nisan. The High Priest was expected, on the 
evening of that day, to lift the outer veil, or Kalum- 
ma, and expose the Holy Place to the view of the 
assembled people. They might see there the candle- 
stick, the table of shew bread and the golden altar of 
incense, and beyond these the Veil of Separation 
which concealed the sacred reliquary. On this par- 
ticular day the priest entered the Holy Place to 
attend to his customary duty. It was the hour of the 
evening sacrifice ; he was probably engaged in light- 
ing the lamps of the golden candlestick, when he saw 
the great curtain begin to part asunder from the top 
to the bottom as if rent from above by an unseen 
hand. He stood amazed and horrified. What could 
it mean ? 

It had a deeper meaning than he suspected. We 
must interpret it in the light of what was then taking 
place on a neighboring hill. For three mortal hours 
Jesus had been agonizing on the cross. The heavens 
had been gradually overspread by the blackness of 
an Egyptian night. The sufferer had passed deeper 
and deeper into his vicarious pain, bearing on his 
great heart the burden of the world's sin, until, 
passing through hell's door in our behalf, he cried, 
" Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ! '" Then silence for 
a time, until the hour of the evening sacrifice, 
when he cried once again with a loud voice, like 
a soldier wounded unto death summoning all his 
strength for a last triumphant word, Tetelestai — "It 
is finished!" It was at this moment that the High 



THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 343 

Priest, ministering in the temple, saw the veil rent in 
sunder. In the light of the great tragedy, and inter- 
preted by that final cry, what means the rending of 
the veil ? 

I. The unveiling of the great Mystery which had been 
hid from the foundation of the world. Paul speaks of 
his preaching as being "according to the revelation 
of the mystery which was kept secret since the world 
began, but now is made known to all nations for the 
obedience of faith." (Rom. 16, 25.) And again: " By 
revelation he made known unto me the mystery 
which in other ages was not made known unto the 
sons of men." (Eph. 3, 3-5.) He speaks of himself 
as a minister of "the mystery which hath been hid 
from ages and generations, but now is made manifest 
to his saints; to whom God would make known what 
is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the 
nations; which is Christ in you the hope of glory." 
(Col. 1, 26-27.) And still further: God "hath saved 
us not according to our works, but according to his 
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Jesus 
Christ, before the world began; but is now made 
manifest by the appearing of our Saviour, who hath 
abolished death and hath brought life and immortal- 
ity to light." (2 Tim. 1, 9.) 

We are encompassed by mysteries on every side. 
Nature has her arcana, into which the scientists peer 
with eager eyes. The Greeks and Egyptians had 
Isis and Eleusis: the rabbis their cabala; the Bud- 
dhists their occult doctrines. There are deep prob- 
lems in philosophy; and as to theology, Milton says 
the angels lose themselves in the wandering mazes of 



344 THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 

"free will, fixed fate, foreknowledge absolute." We 
are born with inquiring eyes. Our search for truth 
is along the winding path of interrogation. But 
there is one question which, above all and under all, 
engages earnest souls ; to wit, What shall I do to be 
saved? This is the sphinx that, with dull, devouring 
eyes, confronts the children of men. For all are sen- 
sible of sin; all are conscious of the just sentence, 
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die"; all feel that 
the great Father must have made some provision of 
escape from doom ; and all alike are moved to in- 
quire, Where is it ? 

It is the part of religion to solve this problem. All 
the false systems have attempted it. This is the ration- 
ale of the altar and the sacrifice; this is the ground 
of mythologies and pantheons. But there was one 
Religion from the beginning, in which God enshrined 
the Mystery of Life. Judaism began with the pro- 
tevangel: " The seed of woman shall bruise the ser- 
pent's head ; and it shall wound his heel. " No sooner 
had man sinned than God thus dimly announced the 
coming of the Christ, to suffer vicariously in expia- 
tion of sin. On this prophecy was reared the Jewish 
system of rites and symbols and sacred observances; 
wherefore it was called, Oikonomia — the "Dispensa- 
tion " of the Mystery. In this religion the Hope of 
Israel was transmitted along the ages. Its elaborate 
ceremonial served both to conceal and to reveal the 
coming Christ. The world not being ready either to 
receive or to understand him, he looked forth as yet 
from behind this lattice and waited for the fulness of 
time. 



THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 345 

The center of this ceremonial economy was the Ark 
of the Covenant. The Jews were accustomed to 
speak of Palestine as "The Holy Land." The holi- 
est spot in Palestine was Mount Zion; the holiest 
place on Mount Zion was the temple; and the most 
sacred apartment there was, as its name indicates, 
the Holy of Holies. Here, behind the great curtain, 
was the Ark of the Covenant. It was a chest of 
acacia wood covered with gold, with a golden lid 
known as " the mercy-seat; " over which hovered the 
Shechinah, or luminous cloud, in which God was 
wont to manifest himself. In the ark were three his- 
toric memorials: the tables of stone, on which were 
inscribed the precepts of the Moral Law; a pot of 
manna, recalling the wilderness journey; and Aaron's 
budded rod. The ark thus furnished was intended 
to symbolize the incarnation, with its great attendant 
truths. On the golden cover were two cherubim 
bending down with curious eyes; as it is written, 
"Great is the mystery of godliness, God manifest 
in flesh": and, again, "The angels desire to look 
into it." 

The most important of Jewish appointments was 
the ioth of Tisri, called the Great Day, or Day of 
Atonement. An offering was made in the early 
morning for the people's sin. The High Priest, filling 
his hands with blood at the brazen altar, passed 
through the outer apartment, lifted the Veil of Sepa- 
ration, sprinkled the blood upon the mercy seat, and 
made his intercessory prayer. He then came forth 
and, in the presence of the assembled multitude, laid 
his hands upon the head of the scapegoat, which, 



346 THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 

bearing its burden, was led away by the hand of a fit 
man to the land of Azazel or oblivion. The people 
watched until he disappeared from sight, and then 
gave themselves up to rejoicing, having received as- 
surance of their deliverance from sin. 

Such was the elaborate system in which was en- 
shrined the prophecy of the Lamb of God. This was 
" the mystery hid from the foundation of the world." 
It is now an open secret. The rending of the veil 
was the complement of the death cry, " It is finished !" 
The fulness of time had come for the disclosure of the 
mystery within the Holiest of All. 

II. It will thus be perceived that the rending of the 
veil meant also an end of Judais7n. The law of ordi- 
nances was a schoolmaster leading to Christ; its pur- 
pose was therefore accomplished when he came. ; ' ' 'He 
took away the handwriting of ordinances, which was 
against us, and nailed it to his cross." The old econ- 
omy was a dispensation of shadows; but there are no 
shadows at noon. The Sun of Righteousness is risen 
upon us. 

God forbid that we should speak contemptuously 
of Judaism or of its venerable rites. Let us take 
heed how we say, " I believe in the New Testament," 
with a fling at the Old; for the Old Testament is the 
foundation of the New, and both together make one 
Holy Book. There can be no antagonism between 
them. As well say, " I believe in the rose, but not 
in the rose tree"; or, "I believe in the brook, but 
not in the fountain whence it came." The moral 
law, being written in the constitution of man, abides 
forever; but the ceremonial law was designed for 



THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 347 

temporary use. It passed away by reason of its 
fulfillment in Christ. 

The sacred observances of Israel were all compre- 
hended in oblations and ablutions. The oblations or 
sacrifices were with blood, since without the shedding 
of blood there is no remission of sin ; the only excep- 
tion being in the case of thank-offerings which were 
in grateful recognition of blessings flowing from the 
altar. The ablutions or purifyings were by water; 
they symbolized and prophesied the opening of the 
gospel fountain for uncleanness; as we sing, — 

There is a fountain filled with blood 

Drawn from Immanuel's veins; 
And sinners plunged beneath that flood 

Lose all their guilty stains. 

All rites and ceremonies thus pointed forward to 
Christ and are fulfilled in him. In organizing the 
Christian Church, our Lord preserved only so much 
of the ancient ceremonial as should be consistent 
with the utmost simplicity. All that remains of that 
elaborate system is our two sacraments: Baptism, 
the initiatory rite of Christian fellowship, speaks of 
cleansing from sin; the Lord's Supper speaks of 
the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. 

We are thus brought to see clearly that a highly- 
developed ritualism is not the religion of the New 
Testament. It was only fifteen years after the day 
of Pentecost that the First Council was held in Jeru- 
salem. The apostles were summoned there to deter- 
mine upon a matter which threatened to divide the 
church. A party of Judaizers had arisen, who argued 
that Christ came not to fulfill the ceremonial law, but 



348 THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 

merely to reform it. They held that candidates for 
admission to the church must pass through the cus- 
tomary Jewish initiation and afterwards adjust them- 
selves to the ceremonial code. In that Council ad- 
dresses were made by Peter on behalf of the broad- 
minded Jews, by Paul as representative of the Gen- 
tile converts, and by James, the minister of the local 
church. Their contention was that to insist upon 
submission to the ancient ritual was to put a yoke 
upon the neck of the disciples which it was impossi- 
ble to bear. Out of that Council went forth a glo- 
rious manifesto in behalf of the simplicity of Christian 
worship and the glorious liberty of the children of 
God. 

In view of these facts it is obvious that an elabo- 
rate formalism is inconsistent with the genius of the 
gospel. To insist upon incense and canonicals, the 
elevation of the mass, fasts and festivals, bowings 
and genuflexions, is to be some thousands of years 
behind the times, I pray you, as Paul said to the 
Christians at Corinth, " Be not entangled again with 
the yoke of bondage." We are come out of the 
shadows into the light of day. 

I see a man bending at an altar, who makes this 
prayer: "O God, behold my oblation; I have paid 
my tithes, I have brought the lamb for sacrifice; 
what more can I do ? " I see another bending at the 
cross ; and thus he prays : "O God, I can do nothing ; 
all my righteousnesses are as filthy rags; but Jesus 
has died. I believe in him: lean do no more. In 
his name, I pray thee, forgive my sin." This is the 
difference between Judaism and Christianity. Thank 



THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 349 

God for free grace, for the sweet simplicity and glo- 
rious liberty of the gospel! 

III. And, finally, the rending of the veil means 
Welcome to all. The way into the holiest is open be- 
fore us. There are no guards about the door. No 
priest can interpose between the soul and God. 
There are no Christian priests, Christ alone is 
" priest forever after the order of Melchizedek," and 
he ever liveth to make intercession for us. In him 
all men alike are invited to be kings and priests unto 
God. 

But what is there to see within the veil ? At the 
overthrow of Jerusalem an officer was deputized to 
force his way into the temple and discover the Mys- 
tery of the Holiest of All. Presently a burst of 
laughter was heard, and a voice saying, " There is 
nothing here!" Only a wooden chest, containing 
two slabs of stone, a pot of aromatic gum, and a leafy 
twig. For the thoughtless or irreverent there is, 
indeed, nothing here. " Spiritual things are spiritu- 
ally discerned." But to an earnest soul the rending 
of the veil is access to life. The ark of the cove- 
nant is a silhouette of God manifest in flesh. Its 
golden cover sets forth the privilege of prayer, to 
which we have admission by a new and living way, 
"that is to say, his flesh." 

O may my hand forget its skill, 
My tongue be silent, cold and still, 
This throbbing heart forget to beat, 
If I forget the mercy-seat ! 

We lift the golden cover and, behold, here are the 
tables of the law: not those that Moses brake in 



35 O TH*E RENDING OF THE VEIL. 

anger, but the unbroken tables of the obedience of 
Christ. As it is written, "What the law could not do 
in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending 
his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, 
condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness 
of the law might be fulfilled in us." And here is the 
pot of manna, a sweet memorial of Providence, seem- 
ing to say, "Take no anxious thought, what ye shall 
eat or what ye shall drink; your Father knoweth that 
ye have need. " And the budded rod, eloquent of Him 
who, bringing life and immortality to light, enables 
us to say, " O death, where is thy sting? O grave, 
where is thy victory ? The sting of death is sin ; and 
the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, 
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus 
Christ ?" And over all the Shechinah, the luminous 
symbol of God's presence. This is our pre-eminent 
privilege in the gospel, to enter with holy boldness 
and commune with him face to face. There is nothing 
beyond. "This is life eternal, to know God and 
Jesus Christ whom he hath sent." 

Thus the way is open, friends, into the Holiest of 
All. Sin is alienation. Adam trembled when he 
heard God's footsteps in the Garden. Job was terri- 
fied by the Voice from the whirlwind. Moses hid in 
the cleft of the rock when the Presence passed by. 
Isaiah dropped his eyes under the great Light, cry- 
ing, "Woe is me, for mine eyes have seen the King! " 
John fell before the vision as dead. But faith in 
Jesus Christ repairs the ravages of sin. Faith is rec- 
onciliation. Those that were afar off are brought 
nigh. Here in the Holy of Holies, is Immanuel, God 



THE RENDING OF THE VEIL. 35 1 

with us. Enter, O penitent soul, and regain your 
lost estate ! The door is open, the veil is rent asunder, 
God's hands are stretched out still; he waits to wel- 
come you. 



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